Marnus Labuschagne continues to present a fantastic display of batting in the ongoing Australian summer as he hits his first double century in Tests against New Zealand in the third Test. With this brilliant double hundred, Labuschagne has itched his name in the history books for a unique record.
The Australian, who has just played 13 Test matches till now, became the first player to register four 140+ scores in an Australian summer, a feat made more impressive by the fact that this is a five-Test season compared to the six, seven or even eight Tests that have sometimes been played.
In yet another remarkable feat Labuschagne also became only the fifth player to make over 800 runs in a five-Test summer season of Australia. Labuschagne now stands with the likes of Don Bradman, Neil Harvey, and Wally Hammond.
Marnus Labuschagne came down to bat in the first innings of the third Test after Joe Burns was dismissed by Colin de Grandhomme. Labuschagne anchored the Australian innings along with Steve Smith after the dismissal of David Warner. Labuschagne and Smith stitched a 156-run partnership for the fourth wicket. This partnership laid the foundation of Australia posting a big total against the Kiwis.
He was dismissed for 215 by legspinner Todd Astle after he started getting aggressive in order to amass as many runs as possible before the end of the first day. He scored 837 runs in the Australian summer, only behind Hammond’s total of 905.
Labuschagne ended his year with a Test average of 63.63 which is more than his senior teammate Steve Smith’s 62.84. He now lays the claim to the second-best average in Test history only after Don Bradman’s iconic 99.94. The most astonishing fact of his initial phase in Tests is that he has achieved all this in just 14 matches and 22 innings.
Australia was managed to score 454 runs in 150.1 overs the first innings of the third Test. At Stump’s on Day 2 of the Sydney Test New Zealand are 63/0, trailing Australia by 391 runs.
