Marnus Labuschagne’s ceiling...

[sphynx]

Labuschagne is averaging 43 with 3 50s and no hundreds in 4 shield matches this season. Given the selectors don't tend to give a huge amount of weight to county runs, Labuschagne really only got this summer because of England, and he only got that due to Smith's concussion. It's a crazy sliding doors type moment.

He got in England because he piled on over 1,000 FC runs.

He also top scored in the first innings of the Aus vs Aus game.

He did it by the very definition of a mountain of runs.

 

[Meridio]

I think something that has worked in his favour is that he failed in his first few cracks at test cricket. He seems to be a pretty odd, obsessive kind of character, and having failed early on went to work relentlessly on his game to try and eliminate weaknesses - as opposed to other more relaxed types, who might be more content to just shrug off a few failures and hope it's their day next time around.

That said, I am finding the plaudits a bit excessive. He looks a decent player, but he's had 6 months of good cricket ffs, and for 3 of those he hadn't even scored a century while the other 3 have been against notoriously poor tourists. At the moment he's simply a guy in very good form, and there's a long, long list of players who have had a golden season before fading away - especially those without strong first class records behind them. Like I posted in the tour thread, with the way his bat swing goes towards mid on, and the outside-to-in-to-out again way he drives at wide ones, he's going to have series where he struggles. Has had a healthy dollop of luck this series where the mistakes he's made just haven't cost him his wicket.

 

[Gnske]

Its weird in retrospect that I almost certainly played cricket against him at some point as a kid without realising I was looking at the future GOAT batsman second to Voges.

 

[Spark]

Chappell's ability to correctly identify exceptional young talent has never been in doubt tbh. It's that, having developed a magnificent hammer, he has decided that every single selection question is a nail.

 

[sphynx]

I think something that has worked in his favour is that he failed in his first few cracks at test cricket. He seems to be a pretty odd, obsessive kind of character, and having failed early on went to work relentlessly on his game to try and eliminate weaknesses - as opposed to other more relaxed types, who might be more content to just shrug off a few failures and hope it's their day next time around.

That said, I am finding the plaudits a bit excessive. He looks a decent player, but he's had 6 months of good cricket ffs, and for 3 of those he hadn't even scored a century while the other 3 have been against notoriously poor tourists. At the moment he's simply a guy in very good form, and there's a long, long list of players who have had a golden season before fading away - especially those without strong first class records behind them. Like I posted in the tour thread, with the way his bat swing goes towards mid on, and the outside-to-in-to-out again way he drives at wide ones, he's going to have series where he struggles. Has had a healthy dollop of luck this series where the mistakes he's made just haven't cost him his wicket.

He topped the runs scorers for the calander year...

Who of the following have done that in the last two decades and faded away?

Kohli
S.Smith
Root
Clarke
Sangakkara
Tendulkar
Dravid
G.Smith
Kallis
Yousef
Ponting
Langer
Vaughen
Hayden


Literally all of them are modern greats or very close to it.

 

[stephen]

Vaughan the exception.

 

[sphynx]

Vaughan the exception.

Also, the no century argument is fairly garbage.

He scored 4 x 50’s in England in a tough series when barely anyone other than Smith scored runs.

Walking away from England with a 50+ average is worth quite a few notches on the belt...

The runs against the kiwi’s aren’t worth much, because they are poor tourists, despite being #2 in the world and everyone and sundry on here was defending them because of their away record over the last 3 years as validation of that ranking pre-series.

What does he have to do? Average 60+ in SAF then 50+ in India?

 

[Coronis]

Also, the no century argument is fairly garbage.

He scored 4 x 50’s in England in a tough series when barely anyone other than Smith scored runs.

Walking away from England with a 50+ average is worth quite a few notches on the belt...

The runs against the kiwi’s aren’t worth much, because they are poor tourists, despite being #2 in the world and everyone and sundry on here was defending them because of their away record over the last 3 years as validation of that ranking pre-series.

What does he have to do? Average 60+ in SAF then 50+ in India?

I mean, that would be nice.

 

[Meridio]

He doesn't "have" to do anything, he's done very well in the last few months, well done to him. It's the hailing of him as the next coming of Bradman that's excessive when he's had such a short period of success.

 

[stephen]

Yeah he's rode his luck and batted well. It's how he backs up year on year that will determine how good he truly is.

 

[sphynx]

He doesn't "have" to do anything, he's done very well in the last few months, well done to him. It's the hailing of him as the next coming of Bradman that's excessive when he's had such a short period of success.

The next Bradman?

Where has this been stated, ever in the past 2 months?

In the OP is said is he the next Dravid? I.e is he capable of 30+ tons?

 

[TheJediBrah]

If only there were a simple solution to this problem like not giving a **** about this sort of crap.

**** a huge chunk of this forum really takes everything it reads completely literally

Do I need to put "It. Was. A. Joke" in my sig?

 

[RossTaylorsBox]

Yeah probably, jokes are supposed to be funny.

 

[TheJediBrah]

*someone takes pot shot at TJB*
*honestbharani likes this*

if I had a penny

 

[Coronis]

The next Bradman?

Where has this been stated, ever in the past 2 months?

In the OP is said is he the next Dravid? I.e is he capable of 30+ tons?

Silly, Smith is the next Bradman. Labuschagne is the next next Bradman.

 

[Daemon]

*someone takes pot shot at TJB*
*honestbharani likes this*

if I had a penny

nah he didn't like mine earlier in the thread

 

[honestbharani]

*someone takes pot shot at TJB*
*honestbharani likes this*

if I had a penny

 

[Arachnodouche]

He's had a great home summer against two crap sides. Still has to come good abroad in a variety of conditions.

 

[srbhkshk]

He's had a great home summer against two crap sides. Still has to come good abroad in a variety of conditions.

Was good in England too, still too early to say much really.

 

[OverratedSanity]

I think showing this godlike level of consistency even against not particularly great opposition is a great sign. Gets boring unspectacular looking runs, never looks in trouble, I think he's going to be pretty great, unfortunately.