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The Australian batsman evenly coats butter on each surface of a slice of soft bread. “That’s the key,” he tells the camera as he brings down the lid of his grilled cheese press. “There you go. Then you get it crisp on both sides.” He opens the grill to reveal a toasted delight of pure toasted goodness, the melted cheese happily bubbling away. “Here’s the secret method,” he announces. At which point, he does something shocking and odd.

At this stage, you may feel a layer of boredom is beginning to form across your eyes. The alarm bells of overly fancy prose are going off. You’re likely conscious that Labuschagne scored 160 for Queensland this week and is being widely discussed for an return to the Test side before the Ashes series.

You probably want to read more about that. But first – you now realise with an anguished sigh – you’re going to have to sit through three paragraphs of light-hearted musing about toasted sandwiches, plus an extra unwanted bonus paragraph of overly analytical commentary in the direct address. You groan once more.

He turns the sandwich on to a dish and walks across the fridge. “Few try this,” he states, “but I personally prefer the cold toastie. There, in the fridge. You let the cheese firm up, go bat, come back. Boom. Toastie’s ready to go.”

Back to Cricket

Look, let’s try it like this. Let’s address the match details out of the way first? Small reward for making it this far. And while there may only be six weeks until the initial match, Labuschagne’s 100 runs against the Tasmanian side – his third in recent months in all formats – feels quietly decisive.

We have an Aussie opening batsmen clearly missing performance and method, shown up by the Proteas in the Test championship decider, shown up once more in the Caribbean afterwards. Labuschagne was left out during that tour, but on a certain level you sensed Australia were eager to bring him back at the soonest moment. Now he looks to have given them the perfect excuse.

Here is a approach the team should follow. Khawaja has one century in his recent 44 batting efforts. Konstas looks less like a first-innings batsman and more like the handsome actor who might play a Test opener in a Bollywood epic. No other options has presented a strong argument. One contender looks out of form. Another option is still surprisingly included, like unwanted guests. Meanwhile their skipper, Cummins, is injured and suddenly this appears as a unusually thin squad, lacking command or stability, the kind of natural confidence that has often helped Australia dominate before a match begins.

Marnus’s Comeback

Enter Marnus: a leading Test player as in the recent past, freshly dropped from the one-day team, the right person to restore order to a fragile lineup. And we are informed this is a calmer and more meditative Labuschagne now: a streamlined, back-to-basics Labuschagne, no longer as extremely focused with technical minutiae. “I feel like I’ve really simplified things,” he said after his hundred. “Less focused on technique, just what I need to bat effectively.”

Of course, nobody truly believes this. Most likely this is a rebrand that exists just in Labuschagne’s personal view: still constantly refining that method from morning to night, going more back to basics than anyone has ever dared. Like basic approach? Marnus will devote weeks in the nets with trainers and footage, completely transforming into the least technical batter that has ever existed. This is just the nature of the addict, and the trait that has always made Labuschagne one of the highly engaging sportsmen in the cricket.

Wider Context

It could be before this very open historic rivalry, there is even a kind of appealing difference to Labuschagne’s constant dedication. In England we have a squad for whom any kind of analysis, not to mention self-review, is a forbidden topic. Trust your gut. Be where the ball is. Live in the instant.

For Australia you have a batsman like Labuschagne, a individual terminally obsessed with cricket and totally indifferent by others’ opinions, who sees cricket even in the gaps in the game, who treats this absurd sport with just the right measure of odd devotion it demands.

This approach succeeded. During his focused era – from the moment he strode out to substitute for an injured the senior batsman at the famous ground in 2019 to until late 2022 – Labuschagne was able to see the game more deeply. To tap into it – through sheer intensity of will – on a elevated, strange, passionate tier. During his time with English county cricket, fellow players saw him on the day of a match positioned on a seat in a trance-like state, mentally rehearsing each delivery of his batting stint. Per Cricviz, during the early stages of his career a surprisingly high proportion of catches were dropped off his bat. Remarkably Labuschagne had predicted events before fielders could respond to influence it.

Current Struggles

It’s possible this was why his form started to decline the moment he reached the summit. There were no further goals to picture, just a empty space before his eyes. Additionally – he lost faith in his cover drive, got trapped on the crease and seemed to lose awareness of his stumps. But it’s all the same thing. Meanwhile his trainer, Neil D’Costa, reckons a emphasis on limited-overs started to weaken assurance in his technique. Good news: he’s recently omitted from the ODI side.

Surely it matters, too, that Labuschagne is a devoutly religious individual, an committed Christian who holds that this is all predetermined, who thus sees his task as one of accessing this state of flow, however enigmatic and inexplicable it may look to the ordinary people.

This mindset, to my mind, has always been the main point of difference between him and Smith, a more naturally gifted player