Marnus Labuschagne has added to his case for selection in Australia’s Test team for the Ashes, making an emphatic case for selection with his fourth century in five innings for Queensland.
Labuschagne passed 150 after tea on the second day on the Bulls’ Sheffield Shield match against South Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
Dumped from Australia’s Test team back in June after a long run of outs, Labuschagne now has four tons across all formats to start the summer.
And while two of those were in 50-over games, Labuschagne has now passed 100 in both his red-ball innings after his 160 against Tasmania in the opening round of the Shield.
Labuschagne played with ease and control all around the wicket on Thursday, hitting 17 boundaries and one big six off Lloyd Pope across the first two sessions.
A week after Australia coach Andrew McDonald declared the 31-year-old was looking back near his best, Labuschagne certainly looked it in Adelaide.
He drove the quicks down the ground and through the covers with confidence, and was back hitting spinners to the mid-on and mid-wicket boundaries.
Labuschagne got off the mark with a thick outside edge from Nathan McAndrew after having dust caught in his eye before he took strike.
Another ball dropped marginally in front of second slip when he was on 31, but that was still played with soft hands in an innings where false shots were incredibly rare.
He brought up his century when he clipped his 129th ball from Liam Scott to the boundary, earning congratulations from Test keeper Alex Carey.
Labuschagne now appears almost certain to be in Australia’s Test team for the series opener in Perth on November 21.
But the main question for selectors will be where to bat him.
Labuschagne’s preferred position is number three, where he is batting for Queensland and has spent most of his Test career.
The likes of David Warner and Matthew Hayden have urged against moving Labuschagne to open, but Australia’s options to partner Usman Khawaja are limited.
Sam Konstas is yet to fire a shot for NSW, while Marcus Harris and Cameron Bancroft are also yet to impress.
Jake Weatherald did hit 94 for Tasmania against Western Australia on Thursday, with the left-hander the only other opener in real form.
Khawaja hit a solid 46 for the Bulls on Thursday before he was caught behind off Wes Agar (2-39).
AAP