Labuschagne expects Warner to bounce back

Australia opener David Warner has been backed to use his horror Ashes campaign to "make him a better player" after enduring a torrid time in England. 

The opener finished with just 95 runs from the Ashes, finishing with the lowest ever return by an opener featuring in five Tests in a single series. 

But Queenslander Marnus Labuschagne, who emerged from the Ashes with a greatly enhanced reputation having been the country's second leading run-scorer after coming in as Steve Smith's concussion substitute during the Lord's Test, says Warner was "fabulous" behind the scenes. 

"It was the first time I got to know Dave and I loved spending time with him," Labuschagne said this week on his return to Brisbane.

"The way he conducted himself the whole tour, being under pressure and obviously he didn't score runs he would like (but) the way he helped the guys around like myself and the other younger guys, talking about game and about batting and just his whole demeanour was really great. 

"It's a real credit to him. It was a very tough series for him personally but you look back and we won't know until end of our summer but I think that's going to make him a better player."

"The way he conducted himself around the group was just awesome." 

Labuschagne drew on his own experience of setbacks and difficult times trying to make his way into the Queensland state system and said they had made him a "tougher" player, and expected the 79-Test veteran with 21 career Test match hundreds to his name to bounce back. 

"All those things, when at the time it's not going your way, actually it just makes you a tougher player, and you just kind of want it more," Labuschagne said. 

"You don't look at those things now as negatives, they're positives, because you wouldn't be the player you are without those things."

While Warner will take a break from action after a long winter that saw him go from the IPL directly into the World Cup campaign and then Ashes series, Labuschagne is straight back into state cricket and in Queensland's squad for this weekend's opening Marsh Cup fixtures. 

"I'd love to play, we'll see how I pull up from the flight and the amount of cricket, that's not the issue, it's just to make sure I'm ready to go and if I'm 100 per cent I'll play," he said. 

Labuschagne scored 353 runs in seven innings at 50.42 for Australia on the back of his 1,114 runs at 65.52 in 18 innings for Glamorgan, where he struck five centuries and another five fifties. 

It's all-but assured him of berth in Australia's Test team for their next match, on his home ground against Pakistan at the Gabba from November 21, but the right-hander isn't taking anything for granted. 

"Obviously I want that spot but at the end of day my job is to just keep scoring runs," Labuschagne said. 

"It doesn't matter what game it is, whether it's this Sunday in the Marsh Cup, or the first (Marsh Sheffield) Shield game. 

"You've just got keep your focus that small because if you get too far ahead that's when you start putting unnecessary pressure on yourself, and you find yourself missing out in a game and find yourself starting to think about it too much. 

"I've loved playing for Australia this (norther) summer, it's been a real privilege and a great series to be a part of, it probably goes down as one of the best."