Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne is feeling very fortunate to be able to play in the ongoing Sheffield Shield 2021-22 ahead of the all-important Ashes 2021-22 against England at home.
Labuschagne is among the top 10 run-scorers in the ongoing Sheffield Shield 2021-22, amassing 317 runs in 4 matches for the Queensland Bulls at an average of 52 so far. He has also cracked two centuries and one fifty in the ongoing first-class domestic competition.
The right-hander also hit a stunning 110 in the first innings of the ongoing Sheffield Shield Final against South Australia in Adelaide. Now, Queensland needs 83 runs to win the Sheffield Shield.
Before the Sheffield Shield tournament, Labuschagne played English county cricket and made 348 runs in six first XI games and 276 runs in a second XI match for Glamorgan.
Many of his Australian Test teammates are still in quarantine and didn’t get much red-ball game time, but Labuschagne managed to play five Sheffield Shield matches before heading into the Ashes action.
The 27-year-old has insisted that his game is in a good space and he has timed the run well into the upcoming Ashes series against England, starting on December 8 in Brisbane.
Labuschagne told cricket.com.au: “I consider myself very fortunate that I been able to play five Shield games. There are some (Australian Test) guys there in the hub now that haven't played any. I feel very fortunate. I’ve played maybe 13 domestic games over a period where some players have played none.”
He further added, “So I feel like my game is in a good space. I really learned a lot from going to England again ... I'm really excited for the Ashes; I have timed the run well. I'm feeling confident in where my game is at the moment.”
On being asked whether he is peaking at the right time for Ashes, Labuschagne said: “I don't really like to say I am peaking at any time. I want to score runs all the time, it doesn't matter what time of year, it doesn't matter who I am playing for.”
He signed off by saying, “I would say it's nice to go into an Ashes Test with a hundred in your last domestic game, you can't ask for more than that. But my job is to score runs all the time and manage to keep finding ways to do that. I love tinkering with my game. Technical, some tactical as well, getting a better understanding of conditions, how players bowl to you.”
