Marnus Labuschagne’s Big Plan To Banish Century Drought

Marnus Labuschagne opens up on his lean patch and how he plans on turning it around.

Two Tests without a hundred. It’s a statistic no one associated with the Australian batting line-up would like to see attached to their name, and Marnus Labuschagne appears to be thinking along those lines ahead of the Bangladesh series.

Century In 22 Tests Since Ashes 2023

Since his vintage century at Old Trafford during the 2023 Ashes, Labuschagne has been searching, but without success, for another three-figure score. It’s a situation that has seen the world No.1 Test batter come under closer scrutiny than usual, and he’s honest about how the long layoff between assignments is to blame.

“Apart from one or two other factors, the long break between Tests was the main issue,” he said. “I’ve had breaks of up to three weeks between series, but that’s the longest I think I’ve had in my career.

“I got greedy, I suppose. I wanted to get runs, and it was affecting my game when I didn’t get them, so I probably put too much pressure on myself when batting. It was good to take the long break and do some solid work in between, instead of on the road.”

He’ll have another shot at notching up a century when Australia and Bangladesh meet for the first time in a five-match series starting in Darwin on November 30, with the second Test to be staged in Mackay.

The Word ‘Greedy’ Was The First Clue

A confession as detailed and as direct as that from Labuschagne is fairly unique in the cricketing world, and it’s that frankness that makes this particular ‘search for runs’ story so compelling.

The No.3 batter has had to put his attacking instincts on hold in recent Tests to make the most of his opportunities at the crease. Instead, he’s been focusing on the basics, working on the simple shots that saw him score a staggering 674 runs at an average of 134.8 between 2019 and 2022.

Labuschagne’s admission that he needed to spend more time working on the fundamentals rather than trying to tweak his game is a further sign that he’s in touch with what’s working and what isn’t.

It’s a message that resonates on multiple levels, as it’s a sentiment echoed by many a player who’s found it near impossible to tweak their game on the fly in recent years.

Good Opportunity To Reboot

There is also value in him spending the time in between international assignments on his game, as the Bangladesh series is unlikely to test his ability to score runs in any way, shape, or form.

While they possess a fearsome attack on their best, they’re also unlikely to offer the same kind of challenge as an Ashes chase or an overseas trip down under battling the spin-friendly conditions on offer.

That’s not to diminish the challenge presented by either prospect, but to underline the fact that Bangladesh is about as close to a warm-up match as you’re likely to get for the Ashes.

It’s the perfect opportunity to get runs on the board and to re-establish himself in the No.3 position ahead of a grueling 12-month international schedule.

Labuschagne Has Big Plans

Labuschagne’s comments on his lean patch and the long break between Tests are all very well and good, but it remains to be seen if they’ll actually translate into an immediate turnaround in his fortunes at the crease.

However, there’s no doubt that his frankness on the matter has gone a long way in rebuilding confidence, as his actions speak as loudly as his words in his efforts to change the script on himself.

Marnus Labuschagne, the world No.1 Test batter, has had some thoughts about why he has not been able to score a century in 22 Tests since the Ashes 2023, and has made them public.

About his century-less streak, Labuschagne feels that he was putting too much pressure on himself. He was probably not playing his natural game when he did not score runs, so he was ‘searching for runs’.

But will this eight-week break be enough to reverse these trends? Only time will tell.