'Close to my heart': Aussie Marnus set for Proteas debut

Marnus Labuschagne lived the first decade of his life in South Africa, but Australia's most in-form batter is expecting few favours when he takes on his native country for the first time in Test cricket this week.

Labuschagne heads into his home Test in Brisbane, where he has lived since his Afrikaans-speaking family emigrated to Queensland when he was 10, in dominant touch having carted West Indies for 502 runs in the first two NRMA Insurance Tests of the summer.

A far sterner examination from the Proteas awaits in what the 28-year-old admits will be a special moment when he faces the team he could easily have played for had life panned out differently.  

Labuschagne still has many relatives in South Africa; around 50 of them were on hand to witness his maiden one-day international century in 2020 in Potchefstroom, less than hour from his birthplace of Klerksdorp.

"Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Greame Smith, AB de Villiers – as a young kid growing up in South Africa, you look up to these guys," the Queenslander told reporters on Wednesday.

"Then coming to Australia, and really diving into the Australian culture, looking up to the likes of Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, Michael Hussey Michael Clarke – I remember getting a V900 (bat) because Michael Clarke had a V900.

"As your career evolves you just grow and grow to liking to different players, it doesn't matter the country."

While Labuschagne is prepared to cop the odd sledge in Afrikaans, he insists there will be no split allegiances when his parents, wife and recently-born daughter watch on at the Gabba this week.

"My family have adopted Australia as their home and they support me, they support the Australian cricket team," he said.

"But I certainly think it's exciting what this Test holds because it is a little bit closer to my heart because it's the country where I grew up and where I spent 10 years of my life."

South Africa's pace attack led by Kagiso Rabada and Anrich Nortje, two of the game's fastest bowlers, are certain to put Labuschagne's technique under far more scrutiny than it has so far this Test summer.

The right-hander was already preparing for their extra velocity even before the Windies series had finished, having a net session before play on the final day of the Test in Adelaide where he stood out of his crease facing throwdowns in a bid to speed up his reflexes.

"I certainly was doing a few more short balls," he said of the extra training he did with batting coach Michael di Venuto. 

"We were working on a few technical things with 'Diva' just on getting my weight distribution right and being able to get back on the ball and actually swivel on that back hip.

"We certainly were looking forward and preparing for what was to come."

The most pressure Labuschagne got put under against the Windies came when speedster Alzarri Joseph peppered him with a series of hostile short balls in Perth, but a follow-up forecast by their bowling coach for the ensuing match never materialised.

Mark Wood had some success with the tactic during last summer’s Ashes, dismissing Labuschagne three times in a row and forcing him into a mid-series technique change.

Labuschagne's record at the Gabba – he averages 94.60 in four Tests there, having notched tons in 2019-20 against Pakistan and India in 2020-21 – combined with his imposing recent form may encourage the Proteas to adopt the same tactics early in the series.

But Labuschagne suggests that is hardly unexpected.

"We always talk about attacking people in different ways. But the reality of cricket is there's not many other options you go to apart from; attack the stumps early, you hang it wide, you bowl straight or you fall short," he said.

"They're your options, and you just mix through those with different bowlers.

"I'm assuming that, with their pace attack, the percentage play is there and they will absolutely go short at some stage.

"I'm certainly going to make sure that I'm prepared for anything they're going to throw at me."

Men's NRMA Insurance Test Series v South Africa

Dec 17-21: First Test, Gabba, 11.20am AEDT

Dec 26-30: Second Test, MCG, 10.30am AEDT

Jan 4-8: Third Test, SCG, 10.30am AEDT

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, David Warner

South Africa squad: Dean Elgar (c), Temba Bavuma, Gerald Coetzee, Theunis de Bruyn, Sarel Eree, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Heinrich Klaasen, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Kagiso Rabada, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Lizaad Williams, Khaya Zondo

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