Australia v New Zealand: Marnus Labuschagne century leaves hosts 3-283
Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith have hammered New Zealand on day one of the SCG Test, before the latter again fell short of a century this summer - but his protege elevated himself to cricket's top tier.
Marnus Labuschagne has risen from batting fringe dweller a year ago to one of the ‘big four’ in world cricket.
In other words, there’s Virat Kohli, there’s Steve Smith, there’s Kane Williamson and now there’s Marnus.
In the corresponding Sydney Test 12 months ago, Labuschagne was called in as the bits and pieces player Australia needed to hobble their way through what had been a horror summer.
At that point he was virtually unranked at an anonymous 110 on the world rankings.
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On Friday, the 25-year-old peeled off his fourth century in five Test matches to cement his meteoric rise and expand what was the untouchable big three, to the big four.
To the point Fox Cricket analysist Kerry O’Keeffe observed yesterday during their 156-run partnership that it was difficult to tell who now has the better on-side game – the master or the apprentice?
“I wouldn’t be drawing any comparisons to Steve yet,” said a humble Labuschagne last night.
But the time is coming.
David Warner, Smith, Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden, Justin Langer, Don Bradman, Doug Walters, Mark Taylor and Neil Harvey are the only other Australians to have scored four Tests in a home summer.
While scorching past 700 Test runs at an average of 125 against Pakistan and the Kiwis is something only Harvey, Bradman and Smith have achieved in a summer of five or fewer Tests and Labuschagne will resume on day two 130 not out.
If this were a boxing bout, the referee would already be giving New Zealand the standing eight count.
Forced to field the equivalent of a Blackcaps B team with a chaotic five changes announced before the toss, New Zealand are hanging on for dear life with Australia in complete control at 3-283.
Labuschagne finished last decade as the leading run-scorer of 2019, and in the New Year’s Test he is showing why he could be one of the preeminent batsmen of decade to come.
The strides made by the Queenslander since he emerged from Steve Smith’s shadow as his concussion substitute during the Ashes at Lord’s is simply staggering.
“I haven’t really had time to sit down and think about how the whole year has unfolded,” said Labuschagne.
“It’s been pretty special. This time last year I was sitting here and there were a lot of questions.
“I believed I had the ability … but I wouldn’t have believed (this was possible).
“I never take it for granted though, it can change very quickly.
“There’s no other currency than runs. You can have a good technique, you can do this and that, but unless you’re putting big scores on the board, eventually it doesn’t matter. It can matter at the start but you need to be putting runs on the board and that’s all I’m trying to do.”
New Zealand has harnessed Smith (63) better than any team over the past six years, yet their tour has fallen apart, in no small part due to Labuschagne’s relentless assault.
Captain and lifeblood Williamson was one of three Kiwi players scratched with a virus that has stripped him of 2.5kg and left him in cold sweats for the past three days. But for good measure the Blackcaps also axed underperforming veteran Tim Southee and backed in two spinners – both of whom struggled to make an impact on day one.
Another one-way-traffic day when Joe Burns threw away another opportunity, Warner let a feast day go begging and Smith battled away in another gloves-off battle against nemesis Neil Wagner, Labuschagne once again made it look all too easy.
Australian captain Tim Paine revealed on match eve that it was something special Test great Greg Chappell had seen deep in Labuschagne that convinced selectors to back in a kid who was only averaging 33 at first-class level.
Selectors went in with their eyes open that this would be a long-term project.
But in 12 months, the punt has manifested into a prodigy with Labuschagne now averaging 62 – giving him the third highest average in the history of the game for batsmen to have played 20 innings or more.
Labuschagne was unaware of Chappell’s support.
“These conversations must be going on in the background because I didn’t know about any of these conversations,” he said.
“You do need people in your corner as you push and try and come through into Test cricket and it’s great to hear someone of that caliber did have my back.”
Originally published as Australia v New Zealand: Marnus Labuschagne century leaves hosts 3-283