A character-defining innings is on the cards for Marnus Labuschagne in Manchester, with Australia imploring its first-drop batter to convert his overnight start of 44 not out into a match-saving knock.
Trailing England by 162 runs at the close of day three, the tourists’ chances of a win at Old Trafford are long gone, with hopes to dodge a loss now all but reliant on rain.
With a lot of unknowns still surrounding the eye-catching forecast on day four and five in Manchester, Australia may very well still need to bat considerable time in between rain intervals to salvage a draw.
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Labuschagne, who remained unbeaten alongside Mitch Marsh (1) at stumps, has shown promise in predominantly tough conditions this series.
While still not perfect, the overheads and pitch were as good as the Australians have batted in all series.
Labuschagne looked the best of the tourists’ top six on day three, with six glorious boundaries to show for it.
Unfortunately, runs have been few and far between for the No.3 batter when compared to his own lofty standards.
So far this series, the Aussies have leant on half a dozen players to turn misfortune and underwhelming batting performances around.
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In Edgbaston it was Usman Khawaja for his 141 and 65, as well as Pat Cummins’ 38 and match-winning 44 not out.
At Lord’s in the first innings, it was Steve Smith’s 110, Travis Head’s 77 and David Warner’s 66 – with Khawaja’s 77 a cherry on top in the second dig.
And of course, Headingley was Mitch Marsh’s unforgettable run-a-ball 118; complemented by a fighting 77 that went in vain from Head in the second innings.
Fourth Test Day 3 Highlights
From the top six named for the fourth Test, there is only one name that goes unmentioned in the list of players that have dragged Australia out from under the English clouds.
Marnus Labuschagne.
While looking scrappy, and even disjointed at times, the 29-year-old has gritted his teeth against the likes of Stuart Broad, James Anderson and Mark Wood with a new ball in hand.
He himself mentioned in a press conference leading up to the fourth Test that he was “slightly disappointed” in his lack of big scores of late.
Prior to the second innings at Old Trafford, scores this series of 0, 13, 47, 30, 21, 33 and 51 show there’s no doubt he’s doing the hard work early.
Nonetheless, the biggest criticism of his game lately has been his inability to convert starts to big scores; mostly a result of uncharacteristic lapses in judgement.
Back-to-back dismissals to the at-times pedestrian off-spin of Moeen Ali confirm that his performances in recent times are not a case of being outclassed – only a case of self-destruction.
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When crunching the numbers of those last seven outings, an average of 27.86 appears – just three more runs an innings than the under-fire David Warner.
His recent pattern is a continuation of his overseas form, which is distinct from his outstanding recording on home soil.
Looking beyond this Ashes series, his first innings 51 in Manchester was just the second time he had raised the bat in nine Test matches; the other in Ahmedabad against India for a gritty 63 not out off 213 balls.
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While perhaps not the highest standard of first-class cricket, Labuschagne hit two big scores of 170 not out and 138 for Glamorgan in his four most recent County innings heading into the first Test at Edgbaston.
His management and technique against the swinging Dukes ball is far too good for domestic level in England, and shows the potential to pass with flying colours against the best swing bowlers in their home conditions.
It has been 21 innings and counting since his last Test hundred, but now more than ever Australia needs him to again do the hard yards early and – at the very least – retain the Ashes for a second time running in England.
If Labuschagne’s showing at the end of day three was any indication of what’s left to come for him this Test, then it’s clear he has all the tools in his kitbag to buck the growing trend of atypical low scores.
As it stands, only the Manchester weather will truly dictate how much of Marnus Labuschagne we see for the rest of the fourth Test.
We’re only six runs away from seeing him hit his 17th half-century.
But Labuschagne – and his team – need more. Another 56 runs would hand him his 11th Test century.
A ton which, provided the tourists’ lengthy batting order plays its part and the forecasts are accurate, should be enough to stave off defeat and retain the Ashes.
As a No.3, Labuschagne has been a critical cog for close to four years now. If he succeeds here, the next two days are legacy-defining.
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