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Marnus methodically applies butter on both sides of a slice of soft bread. “That’s the secret,” he tells the camera as he closes the lid of his grilled cheese press. “Boom. Then you get it toasted on each side.” He opens the grill to reveal a golden square of pure toasted goodness, the melted cheese happily bubbling away. “And that’s the secret method,” he announces. At which point, he does something horrific and unspeakable.

Already, it’s clear a sense of disinterest is beginning to cover your eyes. The red lights of elaborate writing are going off. You’re likely conscious that Labuschagne scored 160 for Queensland this week and is being widely discussed for an Australian Test recall before the Ashes.

You likely wish to read more about his performance. But first – you now understand with frustration – you’re going to have to endure a section of light-hearted musing about toasties, plus an further tangential section of tiresome meta‑deconstruction in the “you” perspective. You sigh again.

He turns the sandwich on to a dish and heads over the fridge. “Not many people do this,” he states, “but I personally prefer the cold toastie. There, in the fridge. You allow the cheese to set, head to practice, come back. Perfect. Sandwich is perfect.”

Back to Cricket

Look, let’s try it like this. Shall we get the cricket bit initially? Small reward for your patience. And while there may only be six weeks until the first Test, Labuschagne’s century against Tasmania – his third in recent months in all cricket – feels importantly timed.

We have an Australia top three badly short of performance and method, revealed against the Proteas in the WTC final, shown up once more in the West Indies after that. Labuschagne was omitted during that series, but on some level you felt Australia were desperate to rehabilitate him at the first opportunity. Now he seems to have given them the perfect excuse.

And this is a strategy Australia must implement. Usman Khawaja has just one 100 in his past 44 innings. Konstas looks not quite a first-innings batsman and closer to the attractive performer who might act as a batsman in a Bollywood movie. Other candidates has presented a strong argument. One contender looks out of form. Another option is still surprisingly included, like moths or damp. Meanwhile their skipper, Cummins, is hurt and suddenly this seems like a surprisingly weak team, missing command or stability, the kind of effortless self-assurance that has often put Australia 2-0 up before a game starts.

Labuschagne’s Return

Step forward Marnus: a top-ranked Test batsman as in the recent past, freshly dropped from the ODI side, the right person to restore order to a shaky team. And we are advised this is a calmer and more meditative Labuschagne now: a streamlined, back-to-basics Labuschagne, not as extremely focused with small details. “I believe I have really cut out extras,” he said after his ton. “Not really too technical, just what I should make runs.”

Of course, nobody truly believes this. Most likely this is a rebrand that exists only in Labuschagne’s mind: still furiously stripping down that technique from morning to night, going further toward simplicity than anyone has ever dared. Like basic approach? Marnus will take time in the practice sessions with advisors and replays, completely transforming into the most basic batsman that has ever existed. This is just the quality of the focused, and the quality that has consistently made Labuschagne one of the deeply fascinating cricketers in the game.

Wider Context

Maybe before this inscrutably unpredictable Ashes series, there is even a type of interesting contrast to Labuschagne’s endless focus. For England we have a side for whom detailed examination, let alone self-analysis, is a forbidden topic. Go with instinct. Stay in the moment. Live in the instant.

In the other corner you have a batsman like Labuschagne, a man completely dedicated with cricket and wonderfully unconcerned by who knows about it, who sees cricket even in the moments outside play, who approaches this quirky game with precisely the amount of absurd reverence it demands.

This approach succeeded. During his focused era – from the instant he appeared 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 on another level. To tap into it – through sheer intensity of will – on a higher, weirder, more frenzied level. During his days playing club cricket, fellow players saw him on the day of a match resting on a bench in a focused mindset, mentally rehearsing every single ball of his batting stint. According to cricket statisticians, during the first few years of his career a statistically unfathomable catches were dropped off his bat. In some way Labuschagne had intuited what would happen before anyone had a chance to change it.

Form Issues

Maybe this was why his form started to decline the moment he reached the summit. There were no worlds left to visualise, just a boundless, uncharted void before his eyes. Also – to be fair – he lost faith in his cover drive, got trapped on the crease and seemed to forget where his off-stump was. But it’s part of the same issue. Meanwhile his trainer, his coach, thinks a emphasis on limited-overs started to weaken assurance in his alignment. Encouragingly: he’s recently omitted from the one-day team.

Certainly it’s relevant, too, that Labuschagne is a devoutly religious individual, an evangelical Christian who believes that this is all preordained, who thus sees his job as one of reaching this optimal zone, despite being puzzling it may look to the rest of us.

This mindset, to my mind, has always been the key distinction between him and Steve Smith, a inherently talented player