Marnus Labuschagne believes an eight week break from competitive cricket has helped him rebuild his game before Australia’s Test series against Bangladesh.
The Australian batter said the time away gave him a chance to focus on the basics after a difficult run in Test cricket over the past two years.
Labuschagne enjoyed the best period of his career between 2019 and 2021. He averaged 72.82 during that time and scored five centuries in 13 Tests. Since the 2023 Ashes, however, his returns have dropped. He has averaged 26.61 in his last 20 Tests, with a highest score of 90.
The 32 year old spent the past two months training in Queensland. He also worked with several Australian teammates as he prepared for the home summer, which begins with the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin on August 13.
“After eight weeks of being able to just go back to my fundamentals and working on my game, spending hours and hours on the simple things, working on my shapes and my technique as a whole, is something that I definitely needed.”
Labuschagne said it was the longest break he has taken in seven or eight years. He explained that the busy cricket schedule had often stopped him from making lasting changes to his batting.
“When you’re on the road playing for the last seven or eight years straight, this is the longest break I’ve had.”
He said short breaks in the past forced him to rush technical changes before returning to old habits. This time, he had enough time to fully work on his game.
Labuschagne admitted he had been chasing quick answers instead of fixing the real problems. He now believes the long break has helped him return to a stronger position.
He also said he had been trying too hard to score another century after going without one since the Old Trafford Test in 2023.
“It’s that little bit of lack of confidence in trusting the process, and then you try and rush the process and make errors.”
Looking back on the last two months, Labuschagne said his best cricket comes when he stays patient and trusts his method instead of thinking too much about the scoreboard.
Australia will begin the two match Test series against Bangladesh in Darwin before the teams travel to Mackay for the second Test later this month.
