Star Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne is excited about the prospect of bowling in the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy (BGT 2024-25), set to kick off on November 22. Earlier this year, Australian captain Pat Cummins had stressed the importance of managing the workload of the team’s pace attack, particularly Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and himself.
Pat Cummins believed that with all-rounders like Mitchell Marsh and Cameron Green in the squad, the pacers could be rotated effectively, ensuring they remained fresh for all five Tests in the series against India. However, with Green’s recent injury, the situation has become a little more complicated. This prompted Labuschagne, who is primarily known for his batting, to step up and express his interest in contributing to the ball. He began bowling in the Sheffield Shield, where he successfully took wickets, including delivering a few bouncers.
The 30-year-old batter even mentioned that he would relish the chance to bowl to some of India’s best, including Virat Kohli. As preparations for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy intensified, Labuschagne was seen bowling bouncers to Cummins in the nets, and he shared that his body felt strong and resilient enough to handle the extra workload.
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Marnus Labuschagne emphasized that he has always enjoyed bowling and believes his body is durable enough to handle the demands of pace bowling. “I think I have bowled 28 overs of pace in a Shield game, and my workload was zero before then. So, many would say that’s a big spike, but I’m doing well. My body’s pretty durable. Touch wood, it’s pretty durable. It’s something I’ve been doing from a young age,” Labuschagne said during a press conference.
“There’s nothing more enjoyable than bowling bouncers.” 👀
Australia’s No.3 is keen to take on a bigger role with the ball against India this summer! #AUSvIND pic.twitter.com/rbRCjmsa1q
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 19, 2024
“I’ve always bowled pace. I would love nothing more than to be that guy. But we’ve got to convince the Australian captain of that, so we’ll see. There’s nothing more enjoyable than bowling bouncers. I love it,” he added with enthusiasm.
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Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood jokingly revealed that Labuschagne had been added to the pace-bowling group, with a hint of humor. Hazlewood also joked that Labuschagne was welcome to bowl anytime during the series against India, leaving it to fate whether the Australian batter will get a chance to bowl to the likes of Kohli and other top Indian batsmen.
“He’s welcome to grab the ball and bowl whenever he wants,” Josh Hazlewood quipped with a cheeky smile.
