Curious case of Marnus Labuschagne: Average of 62.2 vs spin but below par average of 33.33 in Asia

Marnus Labuschagne averages 62.2 against spin but below par average of 33.33 in Asia. A complete analysis of Marnus Labushagne's Test career ahead of Border Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23.

Labuschagne would be travelling first time to India (Images: ©wescrihmer/Twitter)

The fifth-highest run-scorer in World Test Championship (WTC) 2021-23 cycle and Australia’s second-highest run-scorer in the same period is Marnus Labuschagne. The South Africa-born, Australian youngster has turned the world upside down with his innovative leaves outside off-stump, his hunger for runs and the enthusiasm he carries with himself. In WTC 2021–2023, Labuschagne played 25 innings and scored 1265 runs at an average of 57.50, with 4 fifties and 5 hundreds.

Marnus’s batting career in terms of numbers

The Australia batter has not been tested much on the muddy, dusty and turning pitches of the sub-continent. So far, Labuschagne has played 33 Test matches, comprising 56 innings, of which he has played 37 (66.07 per cent) in Australian (home) conditions.

Aside from Australia and England, Marnus has never averaged more than 50 in his career, despite a career average of 59.43. In terms of centuries, only one of the ten he has scored has come outside his home country, in Sri Lanka.

On Australia’s recent tour of Pakistan, Marnus was supposed to be one of the biggest threats to the Pakistan bowlers. However, the threat was diluted by the alien pitches of Pakistan, where the number 1 ranked Test batter could only score 170 runs in five innings at an average of 34. In fact, he has mustered just 400 runs in 12 innings in Asia at a below par average of 33.33, with a solitary hundred.

So, by any stretch of the imagination, if anyone wants to connect the dots, Marnus specifically falls into the same league of home-track bullies that the Australian and English media have labelled many sub-continent legends.

Matches played in	Matches	Innings	Runs	Batting Ave	100s/50s	HS	SR
Australia	22	37	2397	70.5	9/9	215	55.78
England	4	7	353	50.43	0/4	80	51.01
Pakistan	3	5	170	34	0/1	90	61.59
Sri Lanka	2	3	149	49.67	1/0	104	63.68
UAE	2	4	81	20.25	0/0	43	52.94
Overall	33	56	3150	59.43	10/14	215	55.73

Read More: Smith to be Australia’s pivot for spin challenge in India; tackled Ashwin-Jadeja well in BGT 2016-17

Impressive numbers against spinners

Versus Player Type	Innings	Runs	Balls Faced	Dismissals	Bat Ave	SR	Dot Percentage
Left-arm Chinaman	1	12	21	0	-	57.1	76.2
Left-arm Orthodox	24	358	516	9	39.8	69.4	64.5
Right-arm legbreak	9	208	297	4	52	70	58.2
Right-arm offbreak	31	604	842	6	100.7	71.7	55.7
Total	44	1,182	1,676	19	62.2	70.5	59.1

The stylish right-hander averages 62.2 against spinners vis a vis a career average of 59.43 against all bowler types. Spinners have dismissed Marnus on 19 (35.84 pc) of the 53 times he has been dismissed in his career.

Though Labuschagne has not faced a lot of deliveries against spinners compared to fast bowlers, this is where his waters will be tested on Indian pitches, where most of the overs will be bowled by India’s spin trio. While the series will test a lot of batters, it will be very interesting to see how a modern-day prolific run-scorer like Labuschagne counters them and finds a way to score runs on dry, turning pitches.

Read More: Border Gavaskar Trophy 2022-23: With Pant out, mantle of tackling spinners on Pujara & Iyer

Marnus Labuschagne averages 59.43 from 33 Test matches (Images: ©wescrihmer/Twitter)

Marnus versus India: A threat to be worried about or just another brick in the wall?

In the matches played in Australia, the right-hander was also sensational against India. When it comes to scoring runs against India, Marnus Labuschagne has already made his mark, scoring 464 runs at an average of 51.55 with one hundred.

Analysing Labuschagne's numbers against the Indian bowlers, Ravichandran Ashwin and Mohammad Siraj have been the two most prolific bowlers for India. Marnus has never been dismissed in the 162 balls that Jasprit Bumrah has bowled to him. Ravindra Jadeja and Mohammed Shami have bowled the least number of deliveries to Marnus, with 50 and 69 deliveries, respectively, and both have dismissed the Australian number three once each.

The most successful Indian bowlers against Marnus have been Ashwin and Siraj. Ashwin has dismissed him twice in the 184 balls bowled to him, while on the other hand, Siraj has dismissed Labuschagne on two occasions in 172 balls.

Bowler	Runs	Balls	Outs	Bat Ave	SR
Jasprit Bumrah	49	162	0	30.2	-
Ravichandran Ashwin	99	184	2	53.8	49.5
Ravindra Jadeja	30	50	1	60	30
Mohammed Siraj	86	172	2	50	43
Mohammed Shami	32	69	1	46.4	32

The first Test of the four-match Test series will begin from February 9 at the Vidarbha Cricket Association (VCA) Stadium in Nagpur. The second Test will be played in Delhi from February 17-21. In more than a week’s time, the third Test will be played in Dharamsala from March 1-5, followed by the fourth Test in Ahmedabad from March 9-13.

Read More: Australia’s strong middle order & pacers present big challenge for India in Border-Gavaskar Trophy