Headingley, May 7 (IANS) Australia star and No.1 ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has found form ahead of next month’s ICC World Test Championship final against India with a brilliant century for Glamorgan in England’s County Championship, here.
Labuschagne hit 170 not out from just 207 deliveries in Glamorgan’s second innings of their Division 2 clash against Yorkshire on Saturday and the right-hander immediately declared it was the best he had felt at the crease for some time.
The 28-year-old managed to reach 50 just once during the four-match Border-Gavaskar series against India earlier this year and had failed to score a century in any format since he smashed a superb 163 against the West Indies in Adelaide in December.
But that all changed just one month out from the start of the World Test Championship final, as Labuschagne found the middle of the bat with ease and scored freely when hitting 24 boundaries and one massive six against a Yorkshire attack the included England Test spinner Dom Bess and fellow Australian Mickey Edwards.
It was a welcome return to form for Labuschagne – who had managed scores of just 17, 5, 64 and 65 in four County knocks prior – and the Australian admitted he was relieved to finally reach three figures.
“I have been a bit sort of all over. It hasn’t felt like it has come together until that innings. I hit a few nice straight drives, a couple of nice cover drives and a nice flick through mid-wicket. That’s probably the most I’ve felt balanced at the crease, I felt like my head position was in a nice spot, my bat path was coming down nicely,” Labuschagne was quoted as saying by ICC.
“For me it is taking it game by game and trying to build up that momentum that leads into the World Test Championship and the Ashes,” he added.
Persistent rain in Leeds saw the third day of the match called to a halt early, with Glamorgan declaring their second innings at 352/4d on the back of Labuschagne’s strong hand and a valuable 68 from experienced right-hander Sam Northeast.
Glamorgan head into the final day with a massive lead of 491 runs and require 10 Yorkshire wickets to clinch the victory.
–IANS
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