Marnus opens up on 'smarter' plan to win back Test spot

Marnus Labuschagne has put his Test demise down to overtraining and spending too much time tinkering with his technique, vowing to "train smarter" in his push to win back his spot for the Ashes.

Labuschagne concedes his form spiralled and his confidence plummeted in his slow tumble from having the mantle as the world's top-ranked Test batter to being dropped by Australia following their World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa in June.

Undeterred, the 31-year-old has stated his ambition to earn a recall for November's first Test against England. He could be considered at his favoured number three spot if Cameron Green moves down the order, or the opening position he was tried in as a one-off for the WTC final.

The Queenslander has developed a reputation as a tireless trainer, but a view had emerged the hours spent in the nets adjusting and readjusting various aspects of his batting technique were not always beneficial.

Labuschagne now admits a change in approach was necessary after his axing.

"I took a step back mentally and had a look at what I wanted to achieve before I then started attacking it," he told cricket.com.au. "I didn't want to just attack it blindly and go, 'Okay, I'm just going to train, train, train.

"There's an analogy – you can try and bash yourself through the wall, or you can just open the door and walk in.

"(That means) train smarter. I've always trained hard. So if I can combine the clarity of mind, working with my coaches, working with the people around me to go, 'Okay, how do we get myself back here?'

"I think all this stems off the back of confidence. If you haven't got runs for a while, you obviously try and put on the facade that you're confident.

"But you just want to score consistent runs, spend time in the middle, get that feel of playing, and then the rest just starts creeping back. It comes back pretty quickly from there."

Having finished the 2022 calendar year with a Test batting average above 60, Labuschagne has since managed only half that, scoring one century in 53 innings before losing his spot for this year's Caribbean tour.

It was not as if he had stopped contributing altogether.

Australia may have lost the 2023 Ashes if not for his match-saving 111 at Old Trafford, while he then helped his side avert disaster against Pakistan at home in 2023-24 when he hit half-centuries in three of the hosts' four innings in Melbourne and Sydney (scores of 63, 60 and 62no) as his teammates fell around him in difficult batting conditions.

In the Christchurch Test against New Zealand in early 2024, Labuschagne again top scored with 90 in the tourists' first innings to pave the way for a tense three-wicket win. He then made 72 and 70 against India at the MCG last summer in one of Australia's most famous Border-Gavaskar Trophy wins.

In between times, however, there were strings of low scores and tortured knocks that failed to move the dial in his team's favour, with captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald both publicly encouraging a more proactive approach.

"My technique, over time, hasn't been where I wanted it to be, and probably there's been a little bit too much time and focus going into trying to get that right, rather than just playing with what I've got," Labuschagne said.

"But it's been a nice time to reset, be able to recalibrate and go, 'Okay I missed that West Indies series, how am I going to get myself ready to play the Ashes?'

"That's obviously the ultimate goal – to be back in that team come the first Test.

"It's been a nice break to be a little bit more out of the spotlight, be able to go away and go, 'Okay, this is where I want to get my game to'.

"A few technical changes that I've made that I've been able to hone in on for three months now and really get my batting where I want it to be.

"The benefit is you know you've done it before, right? Two years ago I was one of the best batters in the world. You know that it's there and you know you've just got to go back to the (drawing) board and find that consistency, that mental clarity, to go out there and perform."

One aspect of Labuschagne's approach he will not change is his eagerness to turn out in just about any level of cricket, from backyard to Test match.

While he did not return to his county side Glamorgan after running the drinks for Australia in the Caribbean, Labuschagne has thrown himself into Queensland's T20 Max competition for his beloved grade side, Redlands.

In his second match of the season, Labuschagne pummelled six sixes in a 57-ball unbeaten 100 against the University of Queensland on Tuesday night. It was not enough to get the win for Redlands, who went down by four runs.

He hopes his club form translates to the start of the domestic season later this month. Queensland play two one-dayers in Brisbane before their Sheffield Shield campaign begins against Tasmania on October 4.

"When you've been short of runs, it doesn't matter where you score them, you just want to be out there in the middle getting that feel," he said.

"If you're playing for your grade club, if you're playing for Australia, if you're playing for Queensland, there's still a level of importance for whoever you're playing.

"You spend time in the middle, you bat, you get that confidence, and then it just starts creeping back. You start getting that feel and then all of a sudden, you get on a bit of a run and off you go."

2025-26 NRMA Insurance Men's Ashes

First Test: November 21-25, Perth Stadium, 1.30pm AEDT

Second Test: December 4-8, The Gabba, Brisbane (D/N), 3.30pm AEDT

Third Test: December 17-21: Adelaide Oval, 11am AEDT

Fourth Test: December 26-30: MCG, Melbourne, 10.30am AEDT

Fifth Test: January 4-8: SCG, Sydney, 10.30am AEDT