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Marnus ready to level-up his one-day game to new heights

Australia's run-scoring prodigy has spent his time in lockdown working out how he can take his game to a new level ... amid all the madcap backyard antics

Australian batting revelation Marnus Labuschagne has warned he's ready to "go another level up" once international cricket resumes, and set his sights on becoming a three-format player.

Labuschagne said the isolation had allowed him plenty of time to reflect on a superb 12 months that saw him go from fringe squad member to the No.3 Test batsman in the world, but also plenty of time to work on the areas he wants to improve.

"The way things have unfolded has been awesome," Labuschagne said today of his meteoric rise over the past year.

"For me it's been about, one, taking it all in and being really happy and proud of that.

"But also then looking at, 'Righto, how I can get better?', and looking at different parts of your game on and off the field that you can work on to make sure you're continually getting better.

"There's heaps to improve on, that's for sure. Personally in one-day cricket an area I want to continue to get better at is that later stages in the innings, the boundary options at the back-end of a one-day game.

"Batting at four in that one-day lineup, that's definitely something I'm going to need to continue to improve at.

"There's many others, like my bowling, if I can continue to improve there and bowl a few more overs in the shorter format, that's going to help me as well.

"That's the beauty of the game – you're never satisfied with where you are. You can be happy with where you are but you want to be better, you want to continue to drive yourself to get the absolute best out of yourself that you can."

Since becoming Test cricket's first concussion substitute in the Lord's Test match, Labuschagne has scored 1,249 Test runs at an average of 83.26.

He's only played seven ODIs since Steve Waugh handed him his cap in India in January, breaking through for his first century in his sixth game, hitting 108 against South Africa in March.

Having torched all comers at all levels after making a small technical adjustment that yielded big results during his stint with UK county side Glamorgan last winter, Labuschagne knows opposition sides will be better armed once cricket resumes.

"Once you've played that initial season in any format, people start knowing you and knowing how you play, so they come back more rehearsed, more researched and they understand your game a lot better," the 25-year-old admitted.

"For me it's about making sure I understand what they're going to do, and also understand where my weaknesses and my strengths are and then continue to improve both those areas.

"Teams will come out of a year and they'll reassess, and there's different bowlers that come onto the scene.

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"For me it's just about improving and make sure, once this isolation is done, I'm ready and prepared to take it on and try and go another level up."

Renowned for his tireless energy, zany training games and drive, the COVID-19 enforced isolation has hit Labuschagne as hard as any player. And seen his backyard transformed into a makeshift cricket mecca.

The garage has become a home gym, a standard stable for isolated athletes, but Labuschagne has taken it a few steps further. Nets have been hastily erected to spare neighbours the incessant sounds of balls pinging off the fence as he and his housemates utilise a collection of taped up tennis balls to simulate seam and swing.

Fun games to stave off the boredom and keep the reflexes sharp, but with an edge to it in the never-ending drive to improve.

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"This time is quite unique and has never happened before. For me the last two months I was meant to be in England playing county cricket, and now you have so much down time," Labuschagne said.

"It's a good opportunity to make sure you're learning from the situation and reviewing your game and understanding what you can continue to do to get better as a player."

With cricket's eventual return likely to be played in front of empty stands, Labuschagne said the initial strangeness of the experience quickly wore off.

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"Originally it was quite strange, just waiting to bat and being able to hear Davey Warner call and hear so much of what's going on. But I really felt that once I got out there, it was all guns blazing, you were just so focussed on the game, focussed on playing.

"If we play behind closed doors, the more it happens we'll get more used to it. I don't think it takes anything away from the actual game.

"Yes, there's some things that feel a bit strange playing with no one there, but we've all been part of games with no one there.

"So for us it's just being ready to make sure when we do come out of this we're ready to make any sacrifices that we can to get cricket back on TV and back playing."