Labuschagne gives Australia golden start

Scott Bailey | November 30, 2022

Australia have cast aside talk of cricket’s great generational divide with the current stars emulating the past greats in setting up their own dominant start to the summer against West Indies.

With the focus finally back on the pitch after a build up dominated by headlines around Justin Langer’s exit and a supposed rift between eras, an unbeaten Marnus Labuschagne century helped Australia to stumps on 2-293.

Labuschagne was the main star, hitting 154 as he featured in century stands with both Usman Khawaja (65) and Steve Smith (59no).

Searing under the Perth heat, this had all the hallmarks of the start of an Australian summer from the early 2000s when Langer and his teammates were rampant.

Already the hosts appear the only team able to win the Frank Worrell Trophy opener, with West Indies showing good signs early before their bowling withered.

The touring spinner again copped the most damage, with Rolson Chase going for 0-63 off 15 overs as he too often bowled wide of off-stump with a legside field set.

And it came after it started all so brightly for West Indies, when David Warner was bowled for five by Jayden Seales (1-63) and Alzarri Joseph was rushing batsmen on the back foot. 

Then Labuschagne and Khawaja took over, grinding out the first session before capitalising after lunch.

Despite being hit on the hand early by Joseph and edging two straight boundaries from Seales, some of Labuschagne’s strokeplay was brilliant in his eighth Test ton.

He clipped the ball nicely off his toes and produced a sweet drive off Joseph for one of his 16 boundaries.

Another came when he jumped down the deck to hit Chase for four late in the first session, in his first real signal of intent.

But his shot of the day came when he hooked Joseph over fine leg for six.

Labuschagne’s century was timely after making single-figure scores in his last four red-ball innings on difficult wickets leading into the Test.

Now, it looks like another dominant summer awaits, after routinely building on the platform of a big start to a series against other nations.

“The ability to start your series well and getting runs in that first one or two games just changes the whole dynamic of your series,” Labuschagne said.

“It gives you confidence, it gives you that ability to trust your game, you are really in-tuned with your process, you understand how you’re playing.

“I always try and make a really concerted focus on every game, but specifically the first game of a series to get runs on the board.

“It sets it up for the team, but can also set you up for the summer.”

The same can be said for Smith’s prospects.

Small technical changes had him looking in imposing form in the one-day series against England, and that carried into the Test.

He barely offered up a chance in his knock and was able to punish the West Indies’ bowlers when they wre too full or wide.

Khawaja also looked good for his 65, before he edged off Kyle Mayers (1-24) just before tea to be denied his fifth ton in a remarkable 2022.

Organisers however would be as disappointed with only 10,929 people in attendance, sharing the pain of the West Indies’ bowlers.

“We would look tomorrow to get a couple of wickets early to try and peg them back,” West Indies coach Phil Simmons said.

“Realistically we are looking at (best-case) 400, even 450 we are still in the game because the wicket looks like it can get better.”