Australia batsman Marnus Labuschagne could be in Test and white-ball wilderness, but on the back of big scores in recent outings as well as instability in the opening slots, the doors to Ashes is not firmly shut on him. He has rattled off three centuries in four innings for Queensland to begin the season, including a 206-ball 160 in the Bulls' opening Sheffield Shield match at Allan Border Field against Tasmania. A pleased Australia coach Andrew McDonald said Labuschagne is certainly in the mix, after he was omitted from the WTC final and subsequently in the series against West Indies. "We definitely see Marnus as an opening option," McDonald told reporters in Sydney. . "He's had an outstanding record at three for Australia. He is doing all the right things at the moment with three domestic hundreds in four hits. More impressive was the method that he applied, in the front half of that innings in particular against Tassie at AB Field. It's not necessarily the output we're looking for. Sometimes it's the way he's going about it, subtle changes that he has made to his game," he elaborated. In the layoff time, Labuschagne worked on refining his technique. "“My technique, over time, hasn’t been where I wanted it to be. Probably I spent too much time trying to fix it rather than just playing with what I had. But it’s been a nice time to reset and recalibrate. Missing the West Indies series gave me the chance to focus on how I’m going to be ready for the Ashes," he had told cricket.co.au. “That’s the ultimate goal – to be back in the team for the first Test. The break has allowed me to step away from the spotlight and really work on a few technical changes over the past three months to get my batting where I want it to be," he added. McDonald too dwelled on the freshness he saw in Labuschagne, who was for five years as vital to his country as Steve Smith. "To see those implemented first up in Shield round one, big tick for Marnus for all the work he's done and on the back of a little layoff as well. Maybe he's nice and fresh at the moment, he's making some good decisions around his game." The coach also believes that he could be more aggressive than he had been in his last few outings, where he has looked ponderous. "Dave (Warner) was an outstanding opening batter that was able to put pressure back on bowlers. At his best, I think Marn can do that – and we've seen that in one day cricket," said McDonald, while insisting he was not comparing Labuschagne with Warner. "His one-day game has ebbed and flowed between putting pressure back on and then absorbing. He's got the game. It's just the willingness, at times, to be able to do that in the moment. There's some real positive signs, albeit in a Shield game at AB Field on the back of a sizable partnership. But the method was impressive. The way he's moving back into the ball, hitting the ball back down the ground, it felt like he's close to his best. When he's at his best, he does put pressure back on (bowlers)," he added.
