Marnus Labuschagne was born in Klerksdorp, a city in northern South Africa, around two hours south-west of Johannesburg. He emigrated with his family to Brisbane in 2004 and entered the Queensland Cricket underage system when he was 11.

The top-order batsman made his first-class debut in the opening round of the 2014–15 Sheffield Shield campaign, aged 20, grinding out 83 runs against South Australia.

He made headlines when December 2014 when selected as a substitute fielder for Australia's Test against India at the Gabba, taking a stunning catch at short leg to dismiss Varun Aaron.

He put his name up in lights in the 2015-16 season, peeling off Sheffield Shield centuries against South Australia and Western Australia.

The right-hand batsman, who can also bowl part-time leg breaks, was part of Queensland's triumphant Sheffield Shield side in March 2018, and finished the season as the competition's second-highest run-scorer with 795 runs at 39.75, including two hundreds and four fifties. He was subsequently included in Australia A's first-class and one-day squads to tour India in August and September 2018.