Marnus Labuschagne is an Australian cricketer who was born in Klerksdorp, North West Province, South Africa, on June 22, 1994. He is a right-handed batting all-rounder who also bowls right-arm legbreak.
In the history of Test cricket, he is the first concussion replacement to be used. He completed the feat when he came in to substitute Steve Smith in the second Ashes Test at Lord’s in 2019.
Background
Marnus, a 10-year-old South African boy, and his family relocated to Australia. He enrolled in the Australian Institute of Sport, which helped him gain a place in the Queensland age group cricket team. He was more of a batsman than an all-rounder for the side at the U15, U17, and U19 ranks.
He was quickly signed to the senior team and made his First Class debut in the Sheffield Shield, Australia’s premier domestic multi-day competition, in the 2014/15 season. He stepped up to the plate straight away, hitting a tenacious 83 for the team in his first innings.
In List A cricket, he continued his fine form and was named Player of the Tournament in the 2016/17 Matador BBQs One Day Cup. Apart from his bat and ball successes, he was also seen in the news for a number of other reasons.
In 2014, he was called up as a replacement fielder for Australia’s Test match against India at the Gabba. He made a spectacular catch at short leg to dismiss Varun Aaron off Nathan Lyon, and the catch quickly became a social media sensation. He hit the news again in 2017 when he became the first fielder to be penalised for the new “false fielding” regulation just one day after it was implemented.
When a gap was created by the banned trio of Bancroft, Warner, and Smith due to the Sandpaper Gate in South Africa, he eventually got his chance into the Australian Test side in a fresh-looking squad.
Debut
On October 7, 2018, Labuschagne made his Test debut against Pakistan at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. In the first innings, the home team amassed a massive 482 runs. The rookie took a wicket and was also involved in a run-out. After that, he was dismissed for a duck in their first innings, as Australia could only muster 202 runs. Pakistan took the field once more and set a goal of 462. The debutant took a wicket and a catch once more. The Australians rescued the Test by finishing the day on 362/8, with Labuschagne contributing 13 runs.
Rise to Glory
He became well-known after making a significant impact shortly after setting a world record. When he substituted the in-form Steve Smith in the second Ashes Test of the 2019 series at Lord’s, he became the first concussion replacement in Test cricket history. Marnus batted in the second innings and scored a vital 59 off 100 balls on the final day before being dismissed.
Club career
From the 2014/15 season onwards, Marnus has continued to represent Queensland in top domestic competitions such as the Sheffield Shield and Matador BBQs One Day Cup.
Since the 2016/17 season, he has played for the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. In seven games for them, he has scored 42 runs and taken one wicket.