World number one ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has returned to Wales after the monumental Australia vs Pakistan series.
Labuschagne has arrived in time to feature in our second LV= County Championship fixture which begins this coming Thursday against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.
The Australian international was extremely excited to be back with the Welsh county, after another fruitful summer saw him win the Ashes and rise to the top of the Test rankings, whilst also making his International T20 debut against Pakistan a few weeks ago. While admitting that he is raring to go, he recognised he needed a few days to rest and recover.
'For me it’s just taking it in, taking a couple of days,' said Labuschagne. 'Obviously, Pakistan was a great trip for us as a team. Not only did we come away with a T20 victory, we were very close in the One Days and obviously got the Test victory on the 15th day of the series which was amazing.
'Personally, I’m feeling in good touch, obviously, I would always like more runs, it doesn’t matter how many runs you’re scoring, you’d always like more. As a cricketer, you’re never satisfied. Today was my first hit out again here in Cardiff and yeah, feeling great. It’s nice to touch base with Matt again, talk cricket and get back into it.'
'I think for me, it starts today, I had probably 5 days off in between the two tours. So today and tomorrow are sort of my kickstart, and it’s just about touching base again with your technique and the changes you need to make, coming from wickets where there’s no bounce, now swing and no real seam. So just making that transition, you have to move your feet a little bit more and obviously just getting used to that ball shaping again and the ball nipping again and making sure that your technique and your bat path and the things you hold to your core value is in good stead.'
Labuschagne will be available for our next five County Championship fixtures, and a portion of the Vitality Blast. However, due to Australia having a series against Sri Lanka now pencilled in for July, he was unsure as to how many fixtures he would be able to play in that competition.
'I might be able to play something like seven T20 games' said Labuschagne. 'But it just depends on that tour to Sri Lanka and what that looks like and how early I need to join the squad over there. So that’s yet to be determined, we’ve got some rough dates that we’re working off and that’s where the 5 and 7 have come about. We’ll have to wait and see and see an exact amount of T20s I’ll play but I’m really looking forward to the T20 comp.'
Having had his first net today, Labuschagne was thrilled to be reunited with Head coach Matt Maynard, as they spent two hours in the Glamorgan nets this morning, preparing for the Welsh and English conditions.
'We always stay in touch and I’m always sending him stuff or talking about the game, so our relationship doesn’t just stay here.
'Wherever I am, if I feel like I’ve got new ideas or need someone that I can lean on to talk cricket, he’s always one of my first to call. But it is nice to get a fresh pair of eyes and have a hit. One of my favourite things to do is not having many people around, just you and a couple of people. It really gives you that clarity of mind and you can really immerse yourself in your thoughts and what you’re trying to do in the game.'
With Labuschagne returning to the number three position for the Welsh County, it sets up a showdown with England great Stuart Broad this week at Trent Bridge. After the thrilling encounter with Lancashire last year where he faced off against James Anderson, Labuschagne was itching for the contest.
'It’s so exciting to see these high-quality players playing county cricket still,' added Labuschagne.
'They’ve really shown their amazing careers in international cricket and hopefully that continues for both. Yeah, it’s always nice to play them in county cricket. I think for everyone here, it lifts the standard, makes you a better player and I can’t wait to get into the battle again.'