When Cricket Australia announced its provisional 18-player squad for the Men’s World Cup in India, Marnus Labuschagne’s name was absent from the list.
The Queenslander had been dropped following an underwhelming couple of years in the ODI format, averaging 25.80 in the 50-over format with a strike rate of 77.98.
Three months later, Labuschagne is a World Cup champion, scoring an unbeaten half-century during Sunday evening’s successful run chase in Ahmedabad. He combined with centurion Travis Head for a 192-run partnership for the fourth wicket, helping Australia chase the 241-
run target with 42 balls to spare.
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The Australians were reeling a 3-47 when Labuschagne walked to the crease in the seventh over. India’s seamers were hooping the ball around corners, and the vocal Ahmedabad crowd could smell blood.
However, this was the exact situation Labuschagne had been picked for. The right-hander peeled off an unbeaten 58 not out from 110 deliveries, patiently rotating the strike and picking the gaps without attempting anything extravagant.
If not for the coloured clothing and white ball, it easily could have been mistaken for one of his Test knocks.
“What we’ve achieved today is unbelievable,” Labuschagne said after the victory.
“It’s the best achievement I’ve ever been a part of.
“We knew if we played our best cricket, we were a chance.”
Incredibly, Labuschagne has played all 19 of Australia’s ODIs since he was dropped from the side in August, with injuries to teammates keeping him in the starting XI time and time again.
“You guys know I’m a man of faith, and I believe in God,” Labuschagne continued.
“The way everything that’s happened, it’s unbelievable to me. It’s just amazing. I’m lost for words.
“The amount of times I thought. ‘I’m done.’ Even last night, I didn’t get named until about 10.10pm. I thought, ‘It might be dewy, I might be out.’ So I’m very thankful to them for sticking with me.
“Three months ago, I wasn’t even in South Africa in the one-day team. To play 19 games straight from there is truly a miracle. I give thanks to God for that.”
Labuschagne’s first stroke of luck came with a wrist injury to teammate Steve Smith, who was subsequently ruled out of the white-ball tour of South Africa. In an eleventh-hour decision, Labuschagne was named as his replacement in the touring party.
“I’ve got no doubt that I’m still the right person for Australia to bat in that middle order, but at the end of the day, you have to show it with performances,” Labuschagne told Fox Cricket at the time.
“Hopefully South Africa can be an opportunity for me to show that.”
However, the 29-year-old still hadn’t done enough to crack back into the ODI starting XI, carrying drinks for the first ODI against South Africa in September.
But in another twist of fate, all-rounder Cameron Green was struck on the helmet by a bouncer from Kagiso Rabada during the run chase, ruled out of the remainder of the match in Bloemfontein.
Labuschagne was named as his concussion substitute, walking out to bat at No. 8 and scoring an unbeaten 80 to steer Australia towards an unlikely victory against the Proteas.
“My mum last night was adamant that I was playing. I said, ‘Mum, I’m not in the team, I’m not in the team’,” he laughed at the time.
“I guess I’ve just got some weird things that happen around concussion.”
In the following match, he blasted a career-best 124 (135), his second ODI hundred, to cement his spot in the side for the remainder of the series.
However, a fresh conundrum emerged when Smith returned from injury ahead of the India tour — can you have Smith and Labuschagne in the same ODI starting XI?
Seemingly, yes, you can. In fact, you can win World Cup finals with both of them in the team.
Labuschagne’s luck continued when the quadrennial tournament got underway last month. He may not have been selected for Australia’s World Cup opener against India in Chennai if not for a hamstring injury to Marcus Stoinis.
He probably wouldn’t have played the group-stage match against England if Glenn Maxwell hadn’t fallen off the back of a golf cart.
And he was probably on the chopping block if Smith hadn’t suffered a vertigo spell on the eve of the Afghanistan clash in Mumbai.
Ahead of Australia’s semi-final against South Africa in Kolkatta, national selectors were tasked with choosing between Labuschagne and Stoinis. It was a question of team balance, with Stoinis’ bowling giving captain Pat Cummins an additional option in the field.
Ultimately, Labuschagne got the nod — and he well and truly repaid the selectors’ faith on Sunday evening.
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