There was a moment, just a blink of the eye really, in Perth last November when it appeared the game and its pressure had finally gotten to the eternally optimistic Marnus Labuschagne.
Standing in a race at Optus Stadium with Australia at risk of being skittled for little in the opening Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy, the Queenslander was chatting away to his family on the phone.
It had been a poor Test for the 31-year-old, who was trapped in front by both Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah for a combined tally of just five runs as his struggles at the crease continued.
The discussion leading into the prestigious series had been dominated by who would partner Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. That will be the same theme over the next seven weeks leading into the first Test of the Ashes in Perth in late November.
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BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 06: Marnus Labuschagne of the Bulls celebrates his century during day three of the Sheffield Shield match between Queensland and Tasmania at Allan Border Field, on October 06, 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Labuschagne was drawing scrutiny as well given a repeated run of outs as Australia fell to a massive 295-run loss to start the series against India. He looked jaded by the pressure mounting on him.
But just as quickly, as he chatted on the phone, the smile returned. As a young dad, Labuschagne was determined to remain upbeat, aware there is more to life than cricket, as much as he loves every part of the sport.
Ten months on and Labuschagne began his quest to reclaim his spot in the Australian team in superb fashion this weekend when scoring 160 as captain of Queensland in their Sheffield Shield clash again Tasmania at Allan Border Oval.
He was given a life on 98 but batted with command at No.3 on a pitch where runs have clearly been on offer, with former Test opener Matthew Renshaw also scoring a century for the hosts.
“I felt good out there. It felt like I was reading the conditions well. I took the game on at certain times,” Labuschagne said.
“I feel like I’ve really stripped it back and my focus is just scoring runs – it’s not really too technical … just what I need out there to score runs.
“The nice thing is, over the last six or seven years, I’ve played with one of the best players in the world (in Steve Smith) and learned a lot from him.
“So having a technique that’s adjustable and something that I can just use, rather than work out what’s the exact, perfect way to play (is important). It is just (about) going back to find a way to score runs.”
Australian Cricket Training. Marnus Labuschagne. Picture: Jake NowakowskiSource: News Corp Australia
MORE TO LIFE THAN CRICKET
It is a critical juncture in his career and his deeds over the long weekend in Brisbane made for a great start to the summer.
But irrespective of what happens between now and the Ashes, he insists his selection in the Australian team will not define him, stating there is far more to life than hitting a red ball.
Labuschagne, who lost his spot during the Caribbean tour midway through the year, told foxsports.com.au in Brisbane earlier this month that his family and faith remain his chief priorities.
“I think, first and foremost, my identity isn’t based in cricket, right? I think that’s maybe where it’s presented the most, but my family and my faith are two of the most important things to me. That’s what’s important,” he said.
“This time, yeah, it’s been challenging from a cricket perspective. But from a family perspective, it’s been great. I’ve had two kids. I’ve got a beautiful boy (who is) four months old named Judah, and I’ve got Hallie, who’s almost three. So enjoying that part of life doesn’t change, and I think that’s what’s important. Your family and your friends, they’re the ones that matter and that’s what’s important.
“I get to do what I love every day and that’s a privilege and a blessing. Playing cricket isn’t a chore. It’s something that you love to do, and it’s something that I enjoy waking up every day, thinking I’m going to train today and this is exciting, or I’m playing cricket today. If that means I’m playing a club game tomorrow out here (at Allan Border Oval),I still wake up and I’m excited for that opportunity. I think that’s the privilege of the game.
“The pressure that comes with it, that’s part and parcel of it. But I don’t think that dictates anything other than the thing that you love and the thing that you enjoy. But you know, first and foremost, family and faith are the two most important things.”
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THE FAITH THAT FUELS HIM
It is a ritual as regular to Labuschagne as marking the crease when he arrives at the wicket.
Whenever the former Australian Test Batsman of the Year is at home, he and his family will head to his local church in Redlands each Sunday for a service.
As testing as the 2024/25 season proved for the former Australian No.3, he believes it is all part of a grander plan for him and is open about the role his faith has played during a Test career that began in 2018.
The Queenslander said the knowledge he has a broader family that he can always return to irrespective of how he is faring in the middle is the cornerstone he credits his career to.
“Certainly. I obviously grew up in a Christian family and it’s been a big part of my life since the first things I can remember as a kid. My whole family, we go to the same church where we’ve obviously got a great community there. That is a great support. And I think that part is very important to me,” he said.
“I look at my journey and it’s such a great example of God using me as his will. I look at so many different reasons as to how I first started in Test cricket. I would probably never have played a Test match if, you know, the unfortunate events that happened in South Africa weren’t there (when) we had two of our best players not playing.
“And then you look at … me coming in as a concussion sub (in the 2019 Ashes when Steve Smith was injured). And then you look at my journey in the World Cup, not being in the squad to playing, you know, 27 games on the bounce to win the World Cup, which came off the back of another concussion.
“I wouldn’t have made my Test debut if it wasn’t for being a concussion sub, as well, to Matt Renshaw. I mean, you can’t make that stuff up. So … I look at that journey, and I just look at that print is certainly not from my own doing. It’s from something much higher than me.”
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PRESSURE IS A PRIVILEGE
Labuschagne will never forget what champion cricket Michael Hussey, a Fox Cricket analyst, told him when presenting him with his ‘Baggy Green’ prior to his debut against Pakistan in Dubai in late 2018.
It was an inauspicious start, with the right-hander following a duck with an unlucky 13 in the second innings, but the words from the Western Australian have remained with him since.
“You’re probably not under pressure as such, but certainly when you’re not scoring runs, yeah, there’s certainly pressure. But that’s international cricket,” he said.
“I mean, you’re not playing international cricket if you don’t want to be able to deal with pressure and deal with criticism and deal with … what’s in front of you. I think that is the one part that (separates) good cricketers and great cricketers … is the way they deal with pressure.
“I’ll never forget the day Michael Hussey gave me my cap, and he literally said those words. He said, ‘The way you deal with pressure will dictate how you’ll go in this cap.’ And there’s no truer statement.
“Right now, this is the perfect example of … finding your way back, and the pressure that comes with that and trying to work out how you’re going to get yourself back into that side.”
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SMARTER BUT SIMPLER
Formerly the world’s top-ranked batter, he threw himself into the role as a reserve member of the Australian team in the Caribbean despite the disappointment he felt at being dropped.
On returning home, he underwent a winter training block and while he did not fire in one-day internationals against South Africa, Labuschagne made a century in a List A match against Victoria a fortnight ago before his feast against Tasmania.
His talent is indisputable and he looked excellent on a flattish pitch in Brisbane. Labuschagne may have enjoyed some fortune in the infancy of his career but he has 11 Test centuries and another 23 fifties to his resume from 58 Tests.
Even during the downturn, there were instances where he looked so close to breaking through, which is why the Australian selectors persevered for so long with him.
The gritty 64 in Adelaide the Test after his difficulties in Perth last summer is one example.
In the epic Boxing Day Test that proved pivotal to Australia securing the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, he scored successive stirring 70s but could not reach the century that might have eased the pressure and sparked a prolonged return to his best.
Labuschagne made starts in both innings in the World Test Championships decider at Lords and South African legend AB de Villiers, who was watching from the stands, noted in commentary that, to the naked eye, the Aussie looked to be in touch.
But he got out again and was dropped when the Aussies arrived in the West Indies.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – DECEMBER 26: Marnus Labuschagne of Australia looks dejected after being dismissed by Washington Sundar of India during day one of the Men’s Fourth Test Match in the series between Australia and India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 26, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
As he assessed the rough patch that saw him fall out of the Australian squad, the Bulls star said it was an experience he hoped would stand him in good stead through his 30s.
A tireless cricketer renowned for being the first in the nets, Labuschagne conceded he tied himself in knots when tinkering with his technique and approach as his form dipped.
He made a vow to “train smarter” and is hoping less time spent worrying about his game and busting his guts in the nets might be the catalyst for a return to his best form this summer.
“There’s a lot to learn. Certainly you learn about your game. You dig deep, you find where your motivation lies and how you want to go about getting yourself back there,” he said.
“I think it’s an exciting time for me. It’s a challenge that I haven’t had for … six or seven years since I’ve joined the Australian team, and I’ve found myself probably … slightly on the outside, but I’m very confident that I’ll find my way back there very soon. The benefit I have is I know that I’ve done it before. I know it wasn’t long ago that I was there playing my best cricket. So for me, it is an opportunity to sit back and take in how I’m going to go about getting myself back to my best.
“It is about ‘What does that look like?’ and looking at the different methods and ways I’ve played over time, and going, ‘What is the best method now that I can use over that time, from the experience I’ve gained, the different techniques that I’ve had … over the last three or four or five years and work out what’s the best method for me to score runs now?’
“Because that’s what’s most important, right? Nothing else matters. It doesn’t matter how you score them. It just matters that you’re scoring runs. And … I want to be playing at my best. Cricket is fun when you’re playing at your best and your best potential … and that’s where I want to be. It’s an exciting journey to … have the opportunity to start the domestic season in a little bit of a hunt, or a race, for those few spots that seem to be up for grabs.”
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ON THE WHITEBOARD
Australian coach Andrew McDonald has been staunch in his support of Labuschagne and made it clear he believes the Queenslander has the capacity to wear the ‘Baggy Green’ again.
Sam Konstas has the inside running as the incumbent in terms of the vacant opening position, though he failed in both innings for New South Wales over the weekend, and Cameron Green’s superb form in the West Indies was a bonus for Australia.
The Australian selection hierarchy has stressed it will gauge the form of batters in the early rounds of the Sheffield Shield before deciding on a squad for the Ashes and Labuschagne has made the best possible start.
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“He’s gone away and worked on his game. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t picked in that West Indies series, so that gave him time to work on his game and I think he has made some key adjustments and he has been on the record on what they are,” McDonald said in a recent interview with Fox Footy AFL 360 host Gerard Whateley on SEN Radio in Melbourne.
“The proof is really in the pudding once you are back out there and whether it will hold up at Shield level and what … the output of runs looks like and then how we prepare for the Ashes.
“He’s very much on the whiteboard. Where he fits is up for debate, but he has got those three Shield games and then there is some Indian white ball cricket there (as well).”
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 17: Marnus Labuschagne of the Bulls leads the team off the field after their victory during the One Day Cup match between Queensland and Victoria at Allan Border Field, on September 17, 2025, in Brisbane, Australia. (Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Labuschagne, who was in good spirits during an extended interview at Allan Border Oval early in September, was champing at the bit for the opportunity to impress.
“The confidence that this team has shown in me, and the belief I know they have in me, is clear, and it’s clear to me, and it’s clear that I will be … I’ll be doing my best to get myself back in there, and hopefully be a part of the Australian team for a long, long time,” he said.
“That’s the plan. But once again … the journey starts now and it’s building towards something and getting that confidence back in your game, trusting your game, and then building towards that first Shield game and then beyond. I think that’s where the journey starts.
“I think you just got to look at the next step and I think that’s the way I look at it. It’s always nice to hear the coach have that confidence and belief in you, but for me, personally, the only thing that matters is this next step and what’s right in front of me.”
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