Labuschagne in rare air to again be crowned One-Day Cup's best

Marnus Labuschagne was on the outer of both Australia's Test and ODI teams entering the 2025-26 domestic season.

Having been dropped for the three-Test series against West Indies a few months earlier, Labuschagne was soon to be left out of Australia's one-day squad as well to face India last October (he was later recalled following a side injury to Cameron Green but didn't play in the three-match series).

But back-to-back Sheffield Shield hundreds to open the season, as well as two one-day centuries in three knocks for Queensland, had the right-hander swiftly reinstated as Test No.3 for the Ashes.

And his form across the entire One-Day Cup campaign could have him on his way to an ODI recall ahead of a World Cup year in 2027.

Labuschagne produced a career-best 468-run domestic 50-over season this summer and has today been crowned the competition's best player for 2025-26.

The 31-year-old has now won the One-Day Cup player of the season award for a record third time since it was introduced in 1998-99, and he's only the fourth batter to score four centuries in a single season, sealing his place on the list alongside Phil Jaques (2005-06), Brad Hodge (2009-10) and Daniel Hughes (2022-23) with 126 in Queensland's final game last month.

"Once I get the rhythm and feeling of one-day cricket, I feel like I can compile pretty consistent performances," Labuschagne said following his third 50-over century of the season, 101 against NSW in November.

"When you don't play one-day cricket for a while … you might be 30 off 50 (balls) … and you start panicking.

"That's how I sort of felt at the start of pre-season. We played pre-season games and that's exactly how I felt; I felt like I had to go.

"I got a few starts and that just got that process rolling and that rhythm and feeling (heading into the season)."

Labuschagne earned two player-of-the-match awards in his six one-day appearances for Queensland this season, polling 20 votes to finish one ahead of NSW batter Kurtis Patterson, who edged the Bulls captain as the tournament's leading run-scorer with 513 at an average of 102 in seven games.

The pair finished well ahead of Tasmania's Beau Webster (12 votes) in third place. Voting was determined by both on field umpires individually awarding a 3-2-1 for each match.

Labuschagne's top score for the tournament came in Queensland's first match when he slammed 130 from 118 balls with 17 fours and a six to power his side to 55-run season-opening win.

He struck his second ton (105 from 91) in their third match, but it went in vain as eventual ladder-leaders Tasmania overhauled Queensland's 311 with five wickets and 10 balls to spare.

Though his third (101 v NSW) and fourth (126 v South Australia) centuries of the season both came in wins, Queensland missed the final by one point as Patterson's stunning 68-ball hundred helped NSW chase down 275 in 31 overs against Tasmania last month to secure bonus-point victory and a rematch with the Tigers in next Wednesday's decider at Bellerive Oval.

Labuschagne's 468 runs at an average of 78 is the most prolific domestic one-day season of his career, eclipsing his 2019-20 tally of 364 at 61, in which he shared the player of the season award with teammate Usman Khawaja.

Notably, he lifted his strike rate from 81 in his preceding 20 List A matches (including internationals) since the end of the last ODI World Cup to almost a run-a-ball (96.5) this summer.

Australia are slated to play Pakistan, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, South Africa and England in ODI series later this year where Labuschagne will almost certainly get a chance to push his case to be a factor in the side's World Cup planning ahead of the next 50-over global showpiece in southern Africa late next year.

Labuschagne was instrumental in Australia's 2023 ODI World Cup triumph but lost his middle-order spot to state teammate Matthew Renshaw for the series against India last October, with Matt Short, Cooper Connolly and Mitch Owen also performing strongly in the 2-1 series win.

Australia's 50-over batting line-up is in a period of transition following the ODI retirements of Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis last year, with Cameron Green and Alex Carey among the others in the middle-order mix as the competition for spots heats up ahead of the next World Cup.

One-Day Cup 2025-26

Final: Tasmania v NSW, Bellerive Oval, February 11 (2.05pm AEDT)

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Ties T	No results N/R	Net Run Rate NRR	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Total points PTS
1 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	7	5	2	0	0	0.33	0	2	22
2 NSW Men NSW	7	4	3	0	0	0.765	0	3	19
3 Queensland Bulls QLD	7	4	3	0	0	0.607	0	2	18
4 Western Australia Men WA	7	4	3	0	0	0.127	0.5	2	17.5
5 South Australia Men SA	7	2	5	0	0	-0.911	0	2	10
6 Victoria Men VIC	7	2	5	0	0	-0.916	0	0	8

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

T: Ties

N/R: No results

NRR: Net Run Rate

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

PTS: Total points