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Marnus carefully spreads butter on the top and bottom of a slice of white bread. “That’s the key,” he tells the camera as he closes the lid of his grilled cheese press. “Perfect. Then you get it toasted on each side.” He checks inside to reveal a golden square of delicious perfection, the melted cheese happily sizzling within. “And that’s the secret method,” he explains. At which point, he does something shocking and odd.

At this stage, you may feel a glaze of ennui is beginning to appear in your eyes. The alarm bells of overly fancy prose are going off. You’re no doubt informed that Labuschagne scored 160 for Queensland Bulls this week and is being eagerly promoted for an national team comeback before the Ashes.

No doubt you’d prefer to read more about his performance. 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 additional unnecessary part of overly analytical commentary in the direct address. You groan once more.

Marnus transfers the sandwich on to a serving plate and moves toward the fridge. “It’s uncommon,” he states, “but I genuinely enjoy the grilled sandwich chilled. Done, in the fridge. You get that cheese to harden up, go for a hit, come back. Alright. Sandwich is perfect.”

The Cricket Context

Okay, here’s the main point. Shall we get the cricket bit out of the way first? Small reward for reading until now. And while there may be just six weeks until the initial match, Labuschagne’s hundred against the Tasmanian side – his third this season in all formats – feels importantly timed.

We have an Aussie opening batsmen clearly missing form and structure, exposed by the South African team in the World Test Championship final, exposed again in the West Indies after that. Labuschagne was omitted during that tour, but on a certain level you sensed Australia were keen to restore him at the soonest moment. Now he seems to have given them the right opportunity.

And this is a approach the team should follow. Khawaja has one century in his last 44 knocks. Konstas looks less like a first-innings batsman and rather like the handsome actor who might act as a batsman in a Bollywood movie. Other candidates has shown convincing form. Nathan McSweeney looks finished. Another option is still oddly present, like unwanted guests. Meanwhile their leader, Pat Cummins, is hurt and suddenly this seems like a weirdly lightweight side, missing authority or balance, the kind of built-in belief that has often helped Australia dominate before a match begins.

Labuschagne’s Return

Step forward Marnus: a leading Test player as recently as 2023, recently omitted from the ODI side, the ideal candidate to bring stability to a fragile lineup. And we are advised this is a composed and reflective Labuschagne currently: a pared-down, fundamental-focused Labuschagne, no longer as extremely focused with small details. “I believe I have really simplified things,” he said after his ton. “Not overthinking, just what I should make runs.”

Clearly, few accept this. Probably this is a fresh image that exists just in Labuschagne’s own head: still constantly refining that approach from all day, going more back to basics than anyone has ever dared. Like basic approach? Marnus will take time in the practice sessions with advisors and replays, completely transforming into the simplest player that has ever existed. This is just the trait of the obsessed, and the trait that has consistently made Labuschagne one of the deeply fascinating players in the game.

The Broader Picture

It could be before this very open Ashes series, there is even a kind of pleasing dissonance to Labuschagne’s endless focus. On England’s side we have a team for whom detailed examination, let alone self-analysis, is a risky subject. Feel the flavours. Stay in the moment. Smell the now.

In the other corner you have a individual like Labuschagne, a player completely dedicated with the game and totally indifferent by who knows about it, who finds cricket even in the spaces between the cricket, who treats this absurd sport with just the right measure of quirky respect it demands.

His method paid off. During his shamanic phase – from the instant he appeared to substitute for an injured Steve Smith at Lord’s in 2019 to around the end of 2022 – Labuschagne somehow managed to see the game with greater insight. To reach it – through absolute focus – on a elevated, strange, passionate tier. During his days playing English county cricket, teammates would find him on the game day sitting on a park bench in a trance-like state, mentally rehearsing all balls of his batting stint. Per Cricviz, during the initial period of his career a unusually large catches were missed when he batted. Remarkably Labuschagne had intuited what would happen before others could react to influence it.

Form Issues

It’s possible this was why his form started to decline the time he achieved top ranking. There were no new heights to imagine, just a empty space before his eyes. Additionally – he began doubting his signature shot, got stuck in his crease and seemed to lose awareness of his stumps. But it’s part of the same issue. Meanwhile his coach, D’Costa, believes a attention to shorter formats started to undermine belief in his technique. Positive development: he’s just been dropped from the 50-over squad.

No doubt it’s important, too, that Labuschagne is a devoutly religious individual, an religious believer who thinks that this is all basically written out in advance, who thus sees his role as one of accessing this state of flow, no matter how mysterious it may look to the rest of us.

This approach, to my mind, has long been the main point of difference between him and the other batsman, a more naturally gifted player