Marnus Labuschagne: Australian outsider looks to Christianity to provide perspective on cricket as Ashes berth beckons

Exclusive Interview: The Glamorgan star has shone in county cricket to stand on the brink of forcing his way into the Ashes squad to face England

“The Bible says your actions should be your words,” says Marnus Labuschagne. “As a Christian, you need to know the gospel. You need to know what you believe. And it’s good to be challenged. It makes you think about your faith deeper.”

We are roughly 40 minutes in, and it’s fair to say that we’ve deviated somewhat from the usual tried and trodden territory. Labuschagne is the leading run-scorer in county cricket this season, and after a sparkling summer with Glamorgan lies on the cusp of selection for Australia’s The Ashes squad. Yet over a fascinating hour, it turns out there’s plenty else to talk about. Reckon you’ve done enough to nail down a spot against England? How have you found batting in Division Two? Oh, and what’s the point of life?

As you might have guessed, there’s a little more to Labuschagne than the aggressive middle-order strokeplay and handy leg-breaks that meet the eye. Daubed at the base of his bat is a picture of an eagle: it’s a reference to one of his favourite Bible passages, from Isaiah 40:31. “For those who hope in the Lord, He shall renew their strength. They shall soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not be faint.”

And while there’s nothing preachy or didactic about the way Labuschagne discusses his Christianity, the simple fact is that it’s fundamental to who he is, and he loves talking about it. “Twenty or 30 years ago, the culture in Australia – and England – was built around the Christian faith,” he tells The Independent. “Obviously in our day and age, that’s changing. That’s one of the toughest things. There’s so many questions being asked now. As a Christian you’re getting put under fire all the time: different opinions, different people talking. But once you have a relationship with people, conversations flow.”

Labuschagne traces his own faith back to his upbringing in Durban, where he lived before moving from South Africa to Queensland with his family at the age of 10. Cricket and Christianity have been the two cornerstones of his life for as long as he can remember, and as his career has blossomed from promising youth to Test-class maturity, so his faith has helped to shape his outlook.

“Ah, it definitely puts more perspective on your life,” he says. “International cricket – and let’s be honest, the game of cricket – is based on failure. Most players fail more than they succeed. It’s tough. And it definitely helps when you have your faith. Sometimes it gives you clarity on the reason you’re playing. It gives you more perspective on what truly matters.”

Perspective, curiosity, a refusal to conform to expectations, and a simple faith in his own methods: these are the ingredients that have brought a little-known all-rounder from Brisbane to the brink of a debut Ashes series, despite a modest first-class record. Labuschagne was a surprise call-up for last year’s Test tour of the UAE, Australia’s first since the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, and there were more than a few eyebrows raised when he returned to the side for the final Test against India in January. Former Australia opener Ed Cowan said he was “dumbfounded” by his selection at No3 at the SCG.

Labuschagne didn’t mind. On the contrary: being doubted is just how he likes it. He marched out and carved out a gritty 38, which was enough to secure him a place for the subsequent home series against Sri Lanka. “I love that challenge of people not always believing in you,” he says now. “When the public is questioning you. It does give you a little bit more motivation to step up and perform.”

And so when Labuschagne – not in Australia’s World Cup plans – took a contract with Glamorgan for the first half of the county season, not many noticed, and even fewer expected much to come of it. But as he leaves Cardiff to join up with Australia’s pre-Ashes training camp, he does so not just as the leading batsman in the country (1,114 runs, including five centuries), but with Glamorgan on course for a sensational promotion to Division One.

Cardiff seems to have suited him well. The tracks have generally been good – Sophia Gardens has already produced a 570, a 598 and a 750 this season – and with expectations low after last year’s wooden spoon, Labuschagne has been able to flourish under the radar. Best of all, it turns out that the Welsh are among the very few people who can pronounce his surname correctly. “They can say the ‘ccchh’,” he rasps. “Labuscaccchh-nee. But I just stick to ‘Labushane’ now. Otherwise it becomes a kerfuffle.”

Labuschagne practices with Australia (Getty)

Meanwhile for a player brought up on the sun-baked strips of Queensland, England’s green seamers and the Dukes ball have provided a welcome challenge. He’s loved testing his skills against the very wiliest operators county cricket has to offer, from Chris Rushworth to Tony Palladino, Joe Leach to Tim Murtagh. “The bowlers might be slightly older, but the skill level is very high,” he says. “For me, there could be no better preparation moving into an Ashes series than playing 10 first-class games in English conditions.”

There’s no question that Labuschagne has done all he can. The question is whether it will be enough. For many of his detractors back home, Labuschagne is exactly the sort of cricketer Australia need to be moving on from – a tidy, competent performer who lacks the X-factor. He remembers the stinging rebukes he got when he returned to Shield cricket at the start of last winter, from opposition players who believed he had no business wearing the Baggy Green. Again, no complaints: Labuschagne is well used to being underestimated. It just makes him ever more stonily determined to prove everybody wrong all over again.

And in a way, Labuschagne has been an outsider from the moment he stepped into a Brisbane classroom, speaking broken English with a thick South African accent. Though he considers himself very much Australian these days, there remains a little of the frontiersman to him: a resolve forged not in a cuddly academy or on a Cricket Australia talent pathway, but in the sweltering furnace of Brisbane grade cricket. It’s no surprise that one of his biggest fans is Australia coach Justin Langer, who in the fiercely-driven, cricket-obsessed Labuschagne sees perhaps a little of his younger self.

Labuschagne is in contention for an Ashes place (Getty)

Langer, too, is a committed Christian and Labuschagne admits that the pair have had “a few conversations” about their faith. But it’s something he’s happy to discuss with anyone: from agnostic team-mates to cricketers of other faiths, like Usman Khawaja. That, for Labuschagne, is the essence of his Christianity: not a checklist of rules and regulations, but an ongoing conversation, a relationship with the creator that can be maintained however you wish.

The Australians are gathered in Southampton this week for an intramural squad game, with 25 hopefuls battling for 16 or 17 squad places. Realistically, Labuschagne is competing with the likes of Kurtis Patterson and Mitchell Marsh for one of the remaining middle-order slots, although his leg-spin could give him the edge if Australia opt not to include Jon Holland a second specialist spinner.

So maybe we’ll see Labuschagne striding out at Edgbaston on August 1. Or maybe not. “Playing the Ashes in England: there is no bigger occasion,” he says. “I couldn’t feel better about my game. But whatever happens, happens.” And you realise what he means: he’s put in the work, he’s scored the runs. As for the rest: well, it’s in the hands of a higher power now.