Why Marnus Labuschagne’s performance in the India series can help Australia reach the World cup 2023
The battle between Labuschagne and the other world cup hopefuls is an intriguing one. Before the break, his ODI reputation had reached an all-time low after 22 matches over a three-year period with just 532 runs at an average of 25.80 and a strike rate of 77.98.
In a span of four years, two nasty bouncers would completely alter Marnus Labuschagne’s career. Amazingly, he encountered neither. However, the first, a thunderbolt from Jofra Archer that struck Steve Smith on the fifth day at Lord’s, started his march to the top of the batting charts in the traditional system. Cameron Green’s 50-over career was revived by the second, a clanger that struck his helmet at Bloemfontein on September 7. He went on to amass the most runs in the series against South Africa, accruing them at a strike rate of 96.
Now that the first of the three ODI series in India will start on September 22, Labuschagne and a couple of his Australian teammates will have the chance to clinch a World Cup spot. Although Australia has a mostly settled roster, the five-time winners, who chose the people, will have the opportunity to decide their top eleven once the South Africa series absentees return.
The competition among their group of all-arounders is what I find most fascinating. For a total of three berths, five bowling all-rounders are competing. Given his recent performance and usefulness as an opener, Mitchell Marsh is an obvious option, and Glenn Maxwell is also a lock because he is the only spinner among them. Only one could enter out of Marcus Stoinis, Green, and Sean Abbott. Abbott might be the ideal tie-an-end-up first-change seam bowler and push the inconsistent Josh Hazlewood for a berth. Stoinis has amazing power and a dangerous yorker. Green has the knack for seaming the ball both ways.
The selectors’ attention would also be focused on the spinners. Only two specialists, Adam Zampa and Tanveer Sangha, were brought by Australia. The latter, a leg-spinner, has only participated in one game, but his abilities will be tested against India’s hot batsmen. Perhaps all Sangha needs is a sign from the universe as Labuschagne discovered in Bloemfontein and Lord’s.
The battle between Labuschagne and the other world cup hopefuls is an intriguing one. Before the break, his ODI reputation had reached an all-time low after 22 matches over a three-year period with just 532 runs at an average of 25.80 and a strike rate of 77.98.
He struggled to spin the strike and lost his enthusiasm for boundary hitting during this difficult phase. In addition, he was thought to play a role in the ODI team that was too similar to Steve Smith’s.
Even though Bloemfontein is only 250 kilometers from his hometown of Klerksdorp, he was a batsman reborn there. He wrote the ideal anchor-finisher role to close up the pursuit of 225 when he reached the crease at 73 for 5. He would wind up scoring the most runs during the entire series, doing it with a 96 percent strike rate. He hit the fence more frequently in the five games alone (34 fours and two sixes) than in the 22 innings before that (31 and 2).
Similar to how Smith’s injury to Jofra improved his ODI career, Green’s concussion has helped him turn around his ODI career. Marnus whirled and sprinted across the field in an instant. The Test concussion day was discussed in this article by his batting coach Neil D’Costa. He later admitted to me that he was aware that he needed to leave swiftly in case Smith changed his mind.After eight rather forgettable innings prior to that, a 100-ball 59 on the penultimate day helped Australia save the Test as well as his career, which had been lost till then. A similarly nefarious bouncer hit his badge on the first ball he faced. But he managed to live and flourish.
He attributes the improvement in the ODIs to a shift in mindset and preparation rather than any complex adjustments to his technique. It all boils down to your preparation. I always take pride in my preparation and good training. I feel like I haven’t performed with the intensity and bravery that I would have loved to during the last 10 to 12 one-day cricket matches, which has really disappointed me. But here, I played with a lot of courage and intensity,” he added after reeling in a 99-ball 124 in game two.
It was clear that the batter was not overly concerned with his movements or technique; rather, he appeared to be having fun rather than being bogged down by self-imposed standards, as he did throughout the majority of the Ashes series.
The slaps on the back foot through covers, the whiplash pulls and flicks, and the lashing drives on the rise continued to be the most effective strokes. But in between, he would innovate, using a reverse sweep (off just 80 balls in this format) to wink in his second hundred, or a paddle sweep and feathery tickles down the ground, manipulating the gaps for singles and twos. Though he did not venture out as much as he did during the Test series in India a few months ago, he would still reveal his sweeps and slog-sweeps to the spinners.
For Australia, finding a middle-order batsman was not exactly a difficult puzzle, especially after Steve Smith’s return. But in addition to his skill at making strokes against spin bowling, Australia might gain from his knowledge of the game and experience. Australia’s preliminary squad is loaded with all-rounders, but they have a history of unreliability and instability. On their respective days, Mitchell Marsh, Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, and Glenn Maxwell might all turn in game-changing performances, but these occurrences are rare.
Even Travis Head, who is injured, might struggle against top spinners from the subcontinent. So Labuschagne gives a lineup of mostly attacking batsmen some steel and substance. In the final three ODIs of the South Africa series, he could calm down Australia’s frenetic, ultimately self-destructive approach. By the 35th over in each of the three games, they were all out.
Two batsmen in an anchor mold may be advantageous in the subcontinent where the surfaces may be sluggish and low. Furthermore, neither Smith nor Labuschagne are incapable of pushing their innings through higher gears. In the three-match ODI series against India that begins on September 22, if Smith is totally fit, they can try both to see how the formula functions.
