After being dropped from the side, Marnus Labuschagne has gone back to the drawing board with the aim of regaining his spot in the Australian team for The Ashes.
The long-time number three batsman in the batting lineup was dropped from the Test tour of the West Indies in June-July, due to his lengthy rough patch with the willow.
“But it`s been a nice time to reset, be able to recalibrate and go, `Okay I missed that West Indies series, how am I going to get myself ready to play the Ashes?,” he said.
Talking about his preparations, the right-hander said that over time, his technique has not been where I wanted it to be.
“There`s an analogy, you can try and bash yourself through the wall or you can just open the door and walk in. (That means) train smarter. My technique over time hasn`t been where I wanted it to be and probably there`s been a little bit too much time and focus going into trying to get that right, rather than just playing with what I`ve got,” Labuschagne told cricket.com.au.
Earlier, Labuschagne was moved from his regular spot at number three to open in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa. In the match, he registered scores of 17 and 22 runs respectively. However, the Aussies suffered a loss in the title clash.
Teenager Sam Konstas was named as his replacement but the 19-year-old is struggling to score runs at the top, which in return could be an opportunity for Labuschagne to open the innings again with Usman Khawaja.
The first Test match of The Ashes against arch-rivals England will begin on November 21 in Perth.
The 31-year-old could also start at number three if all-rounder Cameron Green moves down the order. Labuschagne has had several stints at the top of the ICC batting rankings, and said it was comforting knowing he was once the world`s best. “The benefit is you know you`ve done it before, right?,” he said.
The Australian added that earlier he was hailed as one of the best batsmen in the world, and now just needs to find that consistency to deliver performances.
“Two years ago I was one of the best batters in the world. You know that it`s there and you know you`ve just got to go back to the (drawing) board and find that consistency, that mental clarity, to go out there and perform,” said Marnus Labuschagne.
(With AFP Inputs)