Marnus Labuschagne is now one of the best batsmen going around the international circuit as far as test cricket is concerned and he has now become the no. 1 batsman in the world as well in the most recent ICC rankings, but it was only a decade back that Labuschagne was actually working for the television crew which was involved in the broadcasting of the Ashes.
During the Ashes series of 2010-11, where England beat Australia in their own backyard, Labuschagne was the man who was responsible for moving the hotspot camera of the television crew. Although Labuschagne was still playing junior cricket at that point of time, he didn’t have a professional contract, and he got the job with the TV crew through one of his acquaintances. The reason why Labuschagne agreed for the job was that he was getting to watch the Ashes from the stadium and was even paid for it.
Four years from there during the Australian summer of 2014-15, Labuschagne got his first professional contract with Queensland and he went from strength to strength. It took him a couple of years to catch the eyes of the Australian selectors and he couldn’t cement his place in the Australian test team in his debut series against Pakistan in UAE, but once he got another crack in the 2019 Ashes, coming in as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith, he never looked back.
Marnus Labuschagne is incredibly tough to dismiss at no. 3
Marnus Labuschagne might not be as flamboyant as some of the other top test batsmen going around, but he almost always ensures the bowler has to come up with his best delivery to remove him from the crease. Even in the recent day-night test match at Adelaide Oval, Labuschagne grinded and grinded and scored a 100 off 300 balls. It was a knock that might not have set the stage ablaze, but it was probably the most vital knock in the context of the game, as it wore the England bowlers down.
Test cricket in the subcontinent is a challenge that MaRnus Labuschagne has still not passed and until he passes that, he won’t really get into the category of modern-day greats, but his journey from a hotspot boy to an elite international cricketer in a space of 10 years is something which can inspire the kids not only in Australia but around the world.
It’s similar to the story of another Australian player Nathan Lyon who was a groundsman at the Adelaide Oval before he got his break as a professional cricketer and turned himself into a high quality test match spinner.
