Marnus Labuschagne gained some much-needed confidence ahead of the South Africa Test series by slamming a 76-ball ton in the tour game against CSA Invitation XI.
Marnus Labuschagne gets among the runs ahead of crucial South Africa Test series
Labuschagne's retention in the Australia Test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa was in itself a headline. His last hundred in the format came back in July 2023, and he has since scored only 941 runs in 41 innings at 25.43. The South Africa tour could well be his last chance, but the 32-year-old now seems set to retain his spot for the first Test in Durban.
Coming out to bat at number three in the warm-up game, Labuschagne raced to a 76-ball hundred before retiring out on 111 off 89 deliveries, which included as many as 19 fours, against what was a modest bowling attack.
After openers Travis Head and Matt Renshaw failed to convert their respective starts, Labuschagne joined hands with Steve Smith to add 115 runs for the third wicket. He also dominated the run-scoring in the partnership, even as the latter struggled for fluency at times. He retired out for 61, while Alex Carey (57) and Beau Webster (42) also did well with the bat as Australia scored 368 in 74 overs.
Earlier, the visitors managed their fast bowlers’ workload as none of their certain starters bowled more than 10 overs. Neil Brand made the most of the opportunity for the CSA Invitation XI, scoring 152 runs off 174 balls with 16 fours and five sixes as they posted 318 runs for the loss of seven wickets before declaring their innings.
Australia’s number three will certainly face a much tougher bowling attack at Kingsmead in Durban, with the three-Test series set to start on October 9.
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