Australia v New Zealand: Marnus Labuschagne is now first among equals

It took something special to end David Warner’s golden patch of form and fortune.

Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne celebrates scoring a century during day one of the first Test against New Zealand in Perth. Picture: Getty Images

Marnus Labuschagne is not going to play second fiddle to anyone anymore.

Something of a support act to Steve Smith in the Ashes and David Warner in the Pakistan series, he has some argument now to say that he is an equal of and not an understudy to the veteran pair.

Labuschagne brought up his century on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand in Perth with a flamboyant six hit back over the head of spinner Mitchell Santner.

He ended the day on 110 off 202 balls with Travis Head alongside him on 20 and Australia 4-248

It was Labuschagne’s third consecutive Test hundred and was brought up with Smith struggling to find his rhythm at the other end and Warner back in the rooms.

On the way to the milestone Labuschagne scored his 1000th Test run in what is his 18th Test innings. He is the equal fourth fastest Australian to that mark.

Labuschagne is the No 3 Australia has been looking for since the retirement of Ricky Ponting. He scores crisply from the start of his innings, he is creative, hungry and pounces on any mistake from the bowlers.

When they don’t make a mistake he plays with them, urging them to bowl straighter and then picking them off through the on side when they do.

His Test numbers since coming into the Lord’s Test as a substitute for Smith are remarkable for their consistency with innings of: 59, 74, 80, 67, 11, 48, 14, 185, 162 and Thursday’s third consecutive century.

New Zealand suffered a major blow in the second session when Lockie Ferguson left the field to have scans on a calf injured during the second session. Brought in to replace the injured Trent Boult, the 28-year-old had only bowled 11 overs before breaking down.

Ferguson should have had the wicket of Smith as consolation but Tom Latham put down a sharp chance at Smith when the dangerous batsman was on 19.

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Smith was on his way to what would have been the slowest half-century of his career but was caught when he paddled a pull to a leg trap that had been put there for just that shot. He was 43 from 164 balls at the time. Neil Wagner was the bowler.

The Kiwis bowled well to Smith, keeping the ball wide of off stump and occasionally inducing ill-disciplined swipes at deliveries that should have been left alone. They had him caught in the same spot from the same bowler last time they played in Christchurch.

The depleted Kiwi bowling attack boxed clever. Colin de Grandhomme’s dibbly dobblers were disconcerting, Mitchell Santner’s stuttering spin similarly so and all the seamers found swing for most of the day. Tim Southee bamboozled Matthew Wade who shouldered arms and was bowled for 12 by an indipping delivery soon after the second new ball was taken.

It took something special to end Warner’s golden patch of form and fortune.

It looked for all money that the trajectory, which began with 154 at the Gabba and elevated to a 335no in Adelaide, was going to continue upward in Perth because Warner was in a menacing mood. He started with the sharpest and shortest of singles from the first ball he faced. He moved up gears fast, pasting boundaries through the off side with the sort of brute power that defined the brash young batsman of times past. He ran a four. He tucked balls off his hips into gaps. He slapped balls through the offside with his head statue still.

He saw off the openers and had the Kiwis looking searching behind the couch for clues.

It took some clever swing bowling from Wagner and wily all rounder de Grandhomme to put the brakes on the scoring and introduce doubt.

Wagner’s wobble and angles bothered the Australian. It induced a lofted check drive into the off side that fell short of the fielder and then, when the opener had moved to 43, another mis-hit brought about his downfall.

Wagner overpitched a full toss, Warner was fooled by the drop of the delivery and toed it back to the right of the bowler who pulled off one of the better caught and bowled dismissals you will see.

The Kiwis made the most of their one chance and the Australian’s appalling record with DRS to make remove both openers before lunch on the first day.

Aleem Dar made the decision that ended Joe Burns’ innings. Burns was advised by his Warner not to review the lbw decision and trundled off, dismissed by the first ball he faced from de Grandhomme.

It looked out from where we sat, looked out to the bowler, the fielders, the umpire and the non-striker, but when ball tracker spluttered to life it suggested an alternate reality. If Burns had reviewed he would have been reprieved as the delivery was shown to be going down leg.