when scoring 160 as captain of Queensland in their Sheffield Shield clash again Tasmania at Allan Border Oval.<\/a><\/p>\nHe 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI felt good out there. It felt like I was reading the conditions well. I took the game on at certain times,\u201d Labuschagne said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI feel like I\u2019ve really stripped it back and my focus is just scoring runs \u2013 it\u2019s not really too technical … just what I need out there to score runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nice thing is, over the last six or seven years, I\u2019ve played with one of the best players in the world (in Steve Smith) and learned a lot from him.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo having a technique that\u2019s adjustable and something that I can just use, rather than work out what\u2019s the exact, perfect way to play (is important). It is just (about) going back to find a way to score runs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Australian Cricket Training. Marnus Labuschagne. Picture: Jake NowakowskiSource: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
\ufeffMORE TO LIFE THAN CRICKET<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think, first and foremost, my identity isn\u2019t based in cricket, right? I think that\u2019s maybe where it\u2019s presented the most, but my family and my faith are two of the most important things to me. That\u2019s what\u2019s important,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis time, yeah, it\u2019s been challenging from a cricket perspective. But from a family perspective, it\u2019s been great. I\u2019ve had two kids. I\u2019ve got a beautiful boy (who is) four months old named Judah, and I\u2019ve got Hallie, who\u2019s almost three. So enjoying that part of life doesn\u2019t change, and I think that\u2019s what\u2019s important. Your family and your friends, they\u2019re the ones that matter and that\u2019s what\u2019s important. <\/p>\n
\u201cI get to do what I love every day and that\u2019s a privilege and a blessing. Playing cricket isn\u2019t a chore. It\u2019s something that you love to do, and it\u2019s something that I enjoy waking up every day, thinking I\u2019m going to train today and this is exciting, or I\u2019m playing cricket today. If that means I\u2019m playing a club game tomorrow out here (at Allan Border Oval),I still wake up and I\u2019m excited for that opportunity. I think that\u2019s the privilege of the game. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe pressure that comes with it, that\u2019s part and parcel of it. But I don\u2019t 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
AB: Aussie trio causing Ashes headaches | 05:02<\/p>\n
THE FAITH THAT FUELS HIM<\/p>\n
It is a ritual as regular to Labuschagne as marking the crease when he arrives at the wicket.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cCertainly. I obviously grew up in a Christian family and it\u2019s 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\u2019ve obviously got a great community there. That is a great support. And I think that part is very important to me,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI look at my journey and it\u2019s 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\u2019t there (when) we had two of our best players not playing. <\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then you look at \u2026 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. <\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t have made my Test debut if it wasn\u2019t for being a concussion sub, as well, to Matt Renshaw. I mean, you can\u2019t make that stuff up. So \u2026 I look at that journey, and I just look at that print is certainly not from my own doing. It\u2019s from something much higher than me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Marnus: ‘Nothing else matters but runs!’ | 01:39<\/p>\n
PRESSURE IS A PRIVILEGE<\/p>\n
Labuschagne will never forget what champion cricket Michael Hussey, a Fox Cricket analyst, told him when presenting him with his \u2018Baggy Green\u2019 prior to his debut against Pakistan in Dubai in late 2018.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re probably not under pressure as such, but certainly when you\u2019re not scoring runs, yeah, there\u2019s certainly pressure. But that\u2019s international cricket,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, you\u2019re not playing international cricket if you don\u2019t want to be able to deal with pressure and deal with criticism and deal with \u2026 what\u2019s in front of you. I think that is the one part that (separates) good cricketers and great cricketers \u2026 is the way they deal with pressure. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ll never forget the day Michael Hussey gave me my cap, and he literally said those words. He said, \u2018The way you deal with pressure will dictate how you\u2019ll go in this cap.\u2019 And there\u2019s no truer statement. <\/p>\n
\u201cRight now, this is the perfect example of \u2026 finding your way back, and the pressure that comes with that and trying to work out how you\u2019re going to get yourself back into that side.\u201d<\/p>\n
Labuschagne takes hat-trick in QLD T20 | 00:43<\/p>\n
SMARTER BUT SIMPLER<\/p>\n
Formerly the world\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
The gritty 64 in Adelaide the Test after his difficulties in Perth last summer is one example. <\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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. <\/p>\n
But he got out again and was dropped when the Aussies arrived in the West Indies.<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
He made a vow to \u201ctrain smarter\u201d 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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s 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,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s an exciting time for me. It\u2019s a challenge that I haven\u2019t had for \u2026 six or seven years since I\u2019ve joined the Australian team, and I\u2019ve found myself probably \u2026 slightly on the outside, but I\u2019m very confident that I\u2019ll find my way back there very soon. The benefit I have is I know that I\u2019ve done it before. I know it wasn\u2019t 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\u2019m going to go about getting myself back to my best. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt is about \u2018What does that look like?\u2019 and looking at the different methods and ways I\u2019ve played over time, and going, \u2018What is the best method now that I can use over that time, from the experience I\u2019ve gained, the different techniques that I\u2019ve had \u2026 over the last three or four or five years and work out what\u2019s the best method for me to score runs now?\u2019 <\/p>\n
\u201cBecause that\u2019s what\u2019s most important, right? Nothing else matters. It doesn\u2019t matter how you score them. It just matters that you\u2019re scoring runs. And \u2026 I want to be playing at my best. Cricket is fun when you\u2019re playing at your best and your best potential \u2026 and that\u2019s where I want to be. It\u2019s an exciting journey to \u2026 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.\u201d<\/p>\n
BJ insists Labuschagne should be AXED! | 01:20<\/p>\n
\ufeffON THE WHITEBOARD<\/p>\n
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 \u2018Baggy Green\u2019 again.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s superb form in the West Indies was a bonus for Australia.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Konstas falls early as Marnus hits 160 | 01:35<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s gone away and worked on his game. Unfortunately for him, he wasn\u2019t 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,\u201d McDonald said in a recent interview with Fox Footy AFL 360 host Gerard Whateley on SEN Radio in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proof is really in the pudding once you are back out there and whether it will hold up at Shield level and what \u2026 the output of runs looks like and then how we prepare for the Ashes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s 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).\u201d<\/p>\n
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<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe confidence that this team has shown in me, and the belief I know they have in me, is clear, and it\u2019s clear to me, and it\u2019s clear that I will be \u2026 I\u2019ll be doing my best to get myself back in there, and hopefully be a part of the Australian team for a long, long time,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s the plan. But once again \u2026 the journey starts now and it\u2019s 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\u2019s where the journey starts. <\/p>\n
\u201cI think you just got to look at the next step and I think that\u2019s the way I look at it. It\u2019s 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\u2019s right in front of me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cummins explains Marnus promotion | 02:33<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There was a moment, just a blink of the eye really, in Perth last November when it appeared…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":194361,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[564],"tags":[6074,6419,91335,1724,64,63,689,15913,122615,122618,47305,56263,651,18762,122612,122223,122607,3567,740,122608,18751,5951,122616,1209,122621,22255,122606,122611,647,122620,2132,673,677,15299,46,122613,122610,701,122614,122617,17069,1183,18780,12540,85,18784,122605,122609,122622,70541,122619,660,12000,3439,60166,122624,122623],"class_list":["post-194360","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cricket","tag-africa","tag-allan-border","tag-andrew-mcdonald","tag-asia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-australia-and-new-zealand","tag-australian-coach","tag-australian-selection-hierarchy","tag-australian-selectors","tag-australian-squad","tag-australian-team","tag-brisbane","tag-cameron-green","tag-chief-priorities","tag-club-game","tag-concussion-sub","tag-courtney-walsh","tag-cricket","tag-cricket-perspective","tag-domestic-season","tag-dubai","tag-family-perspective","tag-india","tag-indian-white-ball","tag-international-cricket","tag-journey-starts","tag-key-adjustments","tag-melbourne","tag-michael-hussey","tag-mohammed-siraj","tag-new-south-wales","tag-oceania","tag-pakistan","tag-perth","tag-pressure-is-a-privilege","tag-prestigious-series","tag-queensland","tag-redlands","tag-runs-looks","tag-sam-konstas","tag-south-africa","tag-southern-africa","tag-southern-asia","tag-sports","tag-steven-smith","tag-tireless-cricketer","tag-truer-statement","tag-unfortunate-events","tag-usman-khawaja","tag-vacant-opening-position","tag-victoria","tag-western-asia","tag-western-australia","tag-white-ball-cricket","tag-winter-training-block","tag-young-dad"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194360","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=194360"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/194360\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/194361"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=194360"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=194360"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=194360"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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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<\/p>\n