Born in Klerksdorp, some 170km north-west of Johannesburg, Marnus Labuschagne moved to Australia when he was only nine. 16 years later, the right-hand batsman now returns to the land of his birth South Africa for the three-match ODI series feeling genuinely excited.
Labuschagne would be hoping to win the heart of wonderful Protea fans, a bit like how England great Kevin Pietersen eventually did after the initial jeering on the first tour to the country of his birth.
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"I’ve never played over here so it’s going to be exciting," the 25-year-old told reporters ahead of the first ODI in Paarl on Saturday (February 29).
“I have a lot of family coming to the second and third games in Bloemfontein and Potchefstroom, probably north of 20. It depends on how many tickets I can get! Grandparents, aunties, uncles, family friends, they’re all coming," he added.
“It’s the first time they’ve seen me play cricket since I was a very small kid. They saw me loving cricket as a kid but only seen my career from a distance. It’s going to be really nice to share that with them."
“I played a little bit of cricket at primary school in Potchefstroom but the rest of my cricket has been in Australia."
Labuschagne, after impressing everyone with his performances at the Test level, also made a wonderful debut in the 50-over version against India in January. "I loved it, India was crazy. I love the pressure and the atmosphere over there, it was a great opportunity to play," he said. "Obviously that role at number four is a spot I want to continue to try and be successful in."
The only thing that might hold back the youngster against the Proteas is the lack of game time he has had in the last one month before this series.
"It’s been tough the last couple of weeks because I actually haven’t played," Labuschagne admitted. "It’s been weird because I’ve been so busy playing cricket and then I’ve had one innings in the last three weeks which is probably the least I’ve batted over the last two years."
(Inputs from Reuters)
