Pesky Labuschagne earns Cup call-up doing it his way

"You can't get rid of me." 

That was what Marnus Labuschagne texted to Andrew McDonald when the Australia men's head coach told him of his ODI lifeline after Steve Smith was ruled out of the South Africa tour prior to this year's World Cup.

While seemingly just a witty reply on the surface, it underlines a deeper confidence Labuschagne had in his ability to transform his one-day batting into the guy Australia needed at No.4 in their quest for a sixth 50-over World Cup title.

The 29-year-old was initially left out of the squad for the five-match series against the Proteas and Australia's preliminary World Cup 15 due to a lack of consistency in the format. He was due to play for Australia A last month until a second chance came when Smith's wrist injury failed to recover in time to allow him to take his place in South Africa.

McDonald's own reply came last week, quoting that message and adding the words "you're right, you're in" to inform Labuschagne of his last-minute inclusion in Australia's final squad for his first World Cup campaign.

"I couldn't have predicted how it all unfolded and how it happened, but I was very confident," Labuschagne told the Unplayable Podcast in Hyderabad where Australia face Pakistan in their second World Cup warm-up fixture today.

"I did tell selectors when I wasn't included: 'I really feel like I'm the guy for you to bat at No.4. I know I'm not there, I know I haven't performed like I wanted to but I know I'm the person for the job at that spot'. 

"And then from there I worked hard at home on my one-day game on a few things I wanted to change – a few technical things and just a few mental shifts as well. 

"I was feeling very confident. So it was just about if the opportunity was going to arise (but) I felt very confident that I would take it if it did come.

"And 'if it's meant to be, it's meant to be. If I'm meant to be here in India for the World Cup, it'll be. If I'm not then it's a win-win, I get to go home, spend time with my family, play domestic cricket at home and it's still very good'."

If the last month has taught Labuschagne one thing, it's that his method works in any format. 

The right-hander has been Australia's top run-scorer in one-day internationals in 2023 (464 at 51.55) and has lifted his ODI strike rate from 74.9 in the past two years prior to the South Africa tour to 97.7 in his past eight matches.

He's also finding the boundary more regularly – every 8.3 balls faced in the past month compared to every 18.9 in the first 30 matches of his ODI career.

After Travis Head (45.5), he also had the lowest dot ball percentage (45.7) of all Australian batters to face more than 50 deliveries across the series against South Africa and India prior to the World Cup.

"I think it's just about doing it my way," said Labuschagne.

"At times in the last year or so I've tried to play one-day cricket not like me, and I think it's just about understanding your game, understanding how I go about it and I can be very effective in my method.

"Especially those first two games, the century in Bloemfontein, I just felt real clarity … which bowler I could score off, where I could score, my 'get out' options when I felt like I needed a boundary against pace and spin.

"I felt like I had all those and I felt like what I did well is use those options at the right times, which in previous times I haven't always done that."

While some may have felt Australia's eight-game lead-in to this year's World Cup dragged on, for Labuschagne it's been a blessing amid an infrequent 50-over schedule sandwiched between Test tours where he admits he's found it hard to maintain rhythm in the format.

He's hit double figures in each of his past eight innings, passing 50 on three occasions, including a century in the second ODI against South Africa and a match-winning 80no in the first.

"Over the last eight games … it was more about making sure I'm showing intent, that I'm really reading the game and I'm staying calm," said Labuschagne.

"I felt like in series prior to that, just because (of) the lack of one-day cricket and playing three one-dayers after big Test series, I found the shift a little bit difficult. 

"I was getting starts and I was going alright but I just wouldn't be staying calm enough in those moments where (I could) just absorb the pressure. 

"It just comes with the lack of playing (one-dayers), especially batting in that four position because it can be so situational.

"What I've done really well (from South Africa onwards) is I haven't got caught up in what might happen or what's going to happen. It's just a matter of I'm ready if that's where I am (batting at No.4) come that first game against India."

Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup fixtures

Warm-up match: No result v Netherlands

Warm-up match: October 3: v Pakistan, Hyderabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 8: v India, Chennai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 12: v South Africa, Lucknow (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 16: v Sri Lanka, Lucknow (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 20: v Pakistan, Bengaluru (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 25: v Netherlands, Delhi (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

October 28: v New Zealand, Dharamsala, 4pm AEDT

November 4: v England, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 7: v Afghanistan, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 11: v Bangladesh, Pune, 4pm AEDT

November 15: First semi-final, Mumbai (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 16: Second semi-final, Kolkata (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

November 19: Final, Ahmedabad (D/N), 7.30pm AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa