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Marnus methodically applies butter on both sides of a slice of white bread. “That’s essential,” he states as he lowers the lid of his toastie maker. “Boom. Then you get it toasted on each side.” He lifts the lid to reveal a perfectly browned of delicious perfection, the bubbling cheese happily sizzling within. “Here’s the trick of the trade,” he announces. At which point, he does something unexpected and strange.

At this stage, it’s clear a glaze of ennui is beginning to form across your eyes. The warning signs of overly fancy prose are flashing wildly. You’re probably aware that Labuschagne scored 160 for Queensland this week and is being feverishly talked up for an Australian Test recall before the Ashes series.

You probably want to read more about cricket matters. But first – you now realise with an anguished sigh – you’re going to have to endure several lines of wobbling whimsy about toasties, plus an additional unnecessary part of self-referential analysis in the direct address. You feel resigned.

Labuschagne flips the sandwich on to a dish and walks across the fridge. “It’s uncommon,” he states, “but I personally prefer the grilled sandwich chilled. There, in the fridge. You allow the cheese to set, head to practice, come back. Alright. It’s ideal.”

On-Field Matters

Okay, let’s try it like this. Shall we get the sports aspect out of the way first? Quick update for your patience. And while there may be just six weeks until the series opener, Labuschagne’s century against the Tasmanian side – his third in recent months in all cricket – feels quietly decisive.

Here’s an Aussie opening batsmen clearly missing form and structure, exposed by the Proteas in the WTC final, exposed again in the West Indies after that. Labuschagne was dropped during that trip, but on a certain level you felt Australia were keen to restore him at the earliest chance. Now he looks to have given them the ideal reason.

And this is a strategy Australia must implement. Usman Khawaja has just one 100 in his last 44 knocks. Konstas looks less like a Test match opener and closer to the attractive performer who might portray a cricketer in a Bollywood movie. None of the alternatives has shown convincing form. One contender looks finished. Another option is still oddly present, like dust or mold. Meanwhile their leader, Cummins, is injured and suddenly this seems like a weirdly lightweight side, short of authority or balance, the kind of built-in belief that has often put Australia 2-0 up before a game starts.

The Batsman’s Revival

Enter Marnus: a world No 1 Test batter as in the recent past, just left out from the 50-over squad, the right person to restore order to a shaky team. And we are informed this is a composed and reflective Labuschagne now: a pared-down, no-frills Labuschagne, less extremely focused with minor adjustments. “I believe I have really cut out extras,” he said after his ton. “Less focused on technique, just what I should bat effectively.”

Naturally, this is doubted. Probably this is a fresh image that exists just in Labuschagne’s mind: still constantly refining that technique from dawn to dusk, going further toward simplicity than any player has attempted. Like basic approach? Marnus will spend months in the practice sessions with advisors and replays, thoroughly reshaping his game into the least technical batter that has ever been seen. That’s the nature of the addict, and the trait that has consistently made Labuschagne one of the most wildly absorbing sportsmen in the game.

Wider Context

It could be before this highly uncertain England-Australia contest, there is even a type of appealing difference to Labuschagne’s constant dedication. On England’s side we have a squad for whom detailed examination, not to mention self-review, is a risky subject. Go with instinct. Stay in the moment. Embrace the current.

On the opposite side you have a batsman like Labuschagne, a man utterly absorbed with the game and wonderfully unconcerned by who knows about it, who finds cricket even in the gaps in the game, who treats this absurd sport with exactly the level of odd devotion it requires.

His method paid off. During his focused era – from the moment he strode out to come in for a hurt the senior batsman at Lord’s in 2019 to through 2022 – Labuschagne found a way to see the game more deeply. To tap into it – through absolute focus – on a higher, weirder, more frenzied level. During his days playing club cricket, teammates would find him on the day of a match resting on a bench in a trance-like state, mentally rehearsing every single ball of his time at the crease. According to the analytics firm, during the initial period of his career a surprisingly high catches were spilled from his batting. Remarkably Labuschagne had anticipated outcomes before fielders could respond to change it.

Recent Challenges

It’s possible this was why his performance dipped the point he became number one. There were no new heights to imagine, just a empty space before his eyes. Also – to be fair – he began doubting his cover drive, got trapped on the crease and seemed to lose awareness of his stumps. But it’s connected really. Meanwhile his mentor, his coach, believes a focus on white-ball cricket started to undermine belief in his technique. Good news: he’s just been dropped from the one-day team.

Surely it matters, too, that Labuschagne is a man of deep religious faith, an committed Christian who thinks that this is all basically written out in advance, who thus sees his task as one of accessing this state of flow, no matter how mysterious it may look to the rest of us.

This approach, to my mind, has consistently been the main point of difference between him and Steve Smith, a instinctive player