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Marnus methodically applies butter on the top and bottom of a slice of plain bread. “That’s the key,” he states as he lowers the lid of his grilled cheese press. “Perfect. Then you get it golden on both sides.” He checks inside to reveal a perfectly browned of ideal crispiness, the bubbling cheese happily bubbling away. “And that’s the trick of the trade,” he declares. At which point, he does something unexpected and strange.

At this stage, I sense a sense of disinterest is beginning to form across your eyes. The alarm bells of overly fancy prose are flashing wildly. You’re likely conscious that Labuschagne made 160 runs for Queensland Bulls this week and is being feverishly talked up for an Australian Test recall before the Ashes.

No doubt you’d prefer to read more about cricket matters. But first – you now realise with an anguished sigh – you’re going to have to endure three paragraphs of light-hearted musing about grilled cheese, plus an further tangential section of tiresome meta‑deconstruction in the direct address. You groan once more.

He turns the sandwich on to a plate and heads over the fridge. “It’s uncommon,” he states, “but I personally prefer the grilled sandwich chilled. Done, in the fridge. You get that cheese to harden up, go bat, come back. Perfect. Sandwich is perfect.”

Back to Cricket

Alright, to cut to the chase. Shall we get the sports aspect to begin with? Quick update for reading until now. And while there may be just six weeks until the initial match, Labuschagne’s hundred against Tasmania – his third this season in all cricket – feels significantly impactful.

Here’s an Australian top order seriously lacking consistency and technique, shown up by South Africa in the World Test Championship final, shown up once more in the following Caribbean tour. Labuschagne was omitted during that tour, but on a certain level you felt Australia were eager to bring him back at the soonest moment. Now he seems to have given them the right opportunity.

And this is a approach the team should follow. Usman Khawaja has one century in his past 44 innings. The young batsman looks hardly a Test opener and closer to the good-looking star who might portray a cricketer in a Bollywood epic. No other options has shown convincing form. One contender looks finished. Harris is still oddly present, like moths or damp. Meanwhile their captain, the pace bowler, is unfit and suddenly this appears as a unusually thin squad, short of command or stability, the kind of effortless self-assurance that has often given Australia a lead before a ball is bowled.

Marnus’s Comeback

Enter Marnus: a top-ranked Test batsman as just two years ago, just left out from the 50-over squad, the ideal candidate to return structure to a fragile lineup. And we are informed this is a more relaxed and thoughtful Labuschagne these days: a streamlined, fundamental-focused Labuschagne, less intensely fixated with technical minutiae. “It seems I’ve really simplified things,” he said after his hundred. “Not really too technical, just what I should score runs.”

Of course, few accept this. In all likelihood this is a rebrand that exists only in Labuschagne’s personal view: still endlessly adjusting that technique from morning to night, going deeper into fundamentals than any player has attempted. You want less technical? Marnus will devote weeks in the training with trainers and footage, thoroughly reshaping his game into the least technical batter that has ever been seen. This is simply the nature of the addict, and the trait that has always made Labuschagne one of the most wildly absorbing cricketers in the sport.

The Broader Picture

It could be before this very open Ashes series, there is even a sort of pleasing dissonance to Labuschagne’s constant dedication. On England’s side we have a side for whom detailed examination, let alone self-analysis, is a forbidden topic. Trust your gut. Be where the ball is. Live in the instant.

In the other corner you have a individual like Labuschagne, a individual completely dedicated with the sport and totally indifferent by public perception, who finds cricket even in the moments outside play, who treats this absurd sport with just the right measure of quirky respect it deserves.

And it worked. During his intense period – from the time he walked out to replace a concussed Smith at the famous ground in 2019 to around the end of 2022 – Labuschagne was able to see the game with greater insight. To access it – through absolute focus – on a different, unusual, intense plane. During his stint in English county cricket, colleagues noticed him on the game day sitting on a park bench in a meditative condition, actually imagining each delivery of his batting stint. According to Cricviz, during the early stages of his career a unusually large catches were missed when he batted. In some way Labuschagne had anticipated outcomes before fielders could respond to change it.

Recent Challenges

It’s possible this was why his career began to disintegrate the moment he reached the summit. There were no new heights to imagine, just a boundless, uncharted void before his eyes. Additionally – he began doubting his signature shot, got stuck in his crease and seemed to forget where his off-stump was. But it’s part of the same issue. Meanwhile his trainer, his coach, thinks a emphasis on limited-overs started to weaken assurance in his positioning. Good news: he’s recently omitted from the one-day team.

No doubt it’s important, too, that Labuschagne is a man of deep religious faith, an committed Christian who believes that this is all predetermined, who thus sees his job as one of achieving this peak performance, despite being puzzling it may seem to the ordinary people.

This, to my mind, has long been the main point of difference between him and the other batsman, a more naturally gifted player