A look at Marnus Labuschagne, the South African-born Australian international cricket player, who plays Test matches for the Australia team and has played county cricket for Glamorgan and in Big Bash League for Brisbane Heat.
Marnus as Steve Smith’s substitute
In the year 2019, Australia’s star player and outstanding batsman Steve Smith, during the 4th match of Lord’s Test that was going on between England and Australia, was struck on the head and also he was hit on the left forearm while facing pacer Jofra Archer of England team.
Steve Smith was ruled out for the rest of the game because of the severe injury, after which Marnus Labuschagne who was not a part of the original eleven, came out to bat in the second innings as Test cricket’s first-ever substitute player for concussion.
A good outcome for the team
The entry of Marnus Labuschagne turned out to be a godsend for the Australian team, as he scored a run of fifty to help his side and save the team in the Test match. He was consistent throughout Ashes, though he couldn’t convert his half-century into a century.
His beginning into the Test cricket came delayed in 2018, but unluckily the player didn’t quite make it to the headlines in his first five Test matches. He was selected as an all-rounder in the beginning who could bowl leg-spin, much like Steve Smith himself. A magnificent season with Glamorgan gave him the energy that he required and that ensured a seat for him in the Ashes.
Coming up as the Highest Run-Scorer
Labuschagne continued from the Ashes. To get him out was becoming tough for his opponents. Labuschagne proved his hunger for big hundreds back home in Australia as he scored his first against Pakistan and then against New Zealand, he scored 185, 162, 143, 50, 63, 19, 215, 59.
That summer he scored 896 runs with an average of 112 with 4 centuries and 3 fifties. With a run of 1104 in 11 matches and an average score of 64.94, Labuschagne became Test cricket’s highest run-scorer in 2019, pushing Smith to the second position on the same list.
