Australian cricket star Marnus Labuschagne is poised to enter the most dominant period of his Test career according to his batting coach, who insists the Queenslander has rediscovered his batting DNA after a challenging slump.
The Second Phase Mojo Period
Coaching guru Neil D'Costa has made the bold prediction that Labuschagne's best form is yet to come as the 31-year-old enters what he describes as the "second phase mojo" period of his Test career. This comes after a difficult period that saw Labuschagne dropped for the recent West Indies tour.
"Marnus is in a bubble that he understands now. If he keeps it with him, then look out," D'Costa told AAP. "This, dare I say it, could be his second phase mojo period. You find it with a lot of players in that second phase, like Steve Smith and Michael Clarke, they can go very big."
Rediscovering His Batting DNA
The statistics tell a compelling story of Labuschagne's journey. In his first 30 Tests, the right-hander amassed 3041 runs at an impressive average of 60.82, including 10 centuries. However, his most recent 29 Tests yielded only 1454 runs at 30.93, with just one century to his name.
D'Costa explained the dramatic turnaround simply: "Marnus had a batting DNA. When he batted that way he averaged more than 50 and was the No.1 batsman in the world. When he lost that DNA, and there are a number of reasons why that happened, he wasn't (No.1). He went back to it and found it again and he's back to being that player."
Technical Transformation and Trademark Shots
The road back began with a mountain of runs in domestic cricket, including five centuries in Sheffield Shield and One-Day Cup matches for Queensland. This outstanding form earned Labuschagne an Australia recall for the first Ashes Test in Perth, where he struck an unbeaten 51 in the second innings.
D'Costa highlighted significant technical improvements in Labuschagne's game. "Marnus is now very still at the crease. His bat pathway and bat playing presentation is much better. You can see now that he can hit the ball behind point easily, through the covers and midwicket. He can pull. He can play every shot now, which for a while there he couldn't do."
Particular attention has been paid to Labuschagne's trademark shot through wide mid-on and midwicket, with D'Costa revealing they've worked on perfecting what they call "the turnover" or "the Kohli" because Indian great Virat Kohli played it best.
As Labuschagne prepares for the second Test at the Gabba next week, his coach's confidence is palpable. "Marnus has got the thirst to bat for a long period of time. Now that you see him leaving balls and very calm at the crease, I would be very worried if I was a bowler."
