Dropped for the first time since 2019, Australia’s long-time No. 3 Marnus Labuschagne says he has shifted away from obsessing over batting technique as he works to reclaim his place in the Test side for the upcoming five-match Ashes series, starting November 21 in Perth.
Labuschagne was left out of the recent series in the Caribbean after averaging just 27.82 with one century over the past two years.
“My technique, over time, hasn’t been where I wanted it to be. Probably I spent too much time trying to fix it rather than just playing with what I had,” Labuschagne told cricket.com.au on Wednesday.
“But it’s been a nice time to reset and recalibrate. Missing the West Indies series gave me the chance to focus on how I’m going to be ready for the Ashes.
“That’s the ultimate goal – to be back in the team for the first Test. The break has allowed me to step away from the spotlight and really work on a few technical changes over the past three months to get my batting where I want it to be.
“The benefit is that I know I’ve done it before. Two years ago, I was among the best batters in the world. It’s just about going back to the drawing board, finding consistency and mental clarity, and performing again.”
If recalled, Labuschagne is expected to return to his familiar No. 3 role, with Cameron Green possibly moving down the order. Once known for long, meticulous net sessions, he revealed a smarter approach to training.
“I took a step back mentally to assess what I wanted to achieve before throwing myself into practice. The analogy is: you can try to bash your way through the wall, or you can just open the door and walk in,” he said.
“That means training smarter. I’ve always trained hard, but now it’s about clarity of mind, working with coaches and those around me. Confidence comes from runs – once you spend time in the middle and get that feel back, everything else follows pretty quickly.”