From Surpassing the Great Four to Fighting for Your Place: The Rise, Reign and Unraveling of Marnus Labuschagne

A long way down from the top “What the hell is that?” shouted Simon Katich from the commentary box as Marnus Labuschagne dismissed his wicket in the second innings of the second Test against South Africa. Australia were forced to follow and were just beginning to recover when their number three offered the hosts another opening.Labuschagne batted patiently to reach 39 before dancing down the track to Simon Harmer outside the corkscrew and trying to hit him over the long-on boundary. He failed to clear the ropes and punched away at Marc Jansen.A brain fade thwarted the 92-run partnership between Labuschagne and Travis Head as the visitors struggled to hold on for a draw.Australia eventually lost the Test by an innings and 31 runs.It was another failure for Labuschagne that he could not build on after the start. In four innings on the tour of South Africa, the country of his birth, the Australian batsman was dismissed three times in the 1930s.Struggling to convert starts into big scores has become a recurring problem of late for a batsman who once looked like he had found a permanent home among the world’s best.

When Marnus ruled the world and beat the Fab Four

After an extraordinary start to his career, he earned a place in Australia’s squad for the 2019 Ashes in England. He wasn’t among the biggest names in a team loaded with established players, but the series would change his place in Australian cricket.At Lord’s, Steve Smith was hit in the neck by a Jofra Archer bouncer and had to leave the field. Labuschagne came on as the first concussion substitute in Test cricket, replacing a batsman who was himself in the midst of a remarkable comeback. Under cloudy skies as England pushed for victory on the fifth day, Labuschagne scored 59 to help Australia escape defeat.This shift proved to be a turning point. Over the following summer, Labuschagne went from a promising batsman to become one of the most consistent run-scorers in Test cricket.He scored 347 runs at an average of 173.50 against Pakistan. He followed this up with 549 runs at 91.50 against New Zealand, establishing himself as a key figure in Australia’s Test batting line-up.His form continued in 2021, despite the challenges of playing through the Covid restrictions. In that year’s Boxing Day Test, Labuschagne climbed to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings ahead of Steve Smith, Joe Root, Virat Kohli and Kane Williamson – the four players famously grouped by Martin Crowe as the ‘Fab Four’.

A long way down from the top

Between 2019 and 2022, Labuschagne scored 2,990 runs in 50 innings at an average of 62.3. He hit 10 centuries and 13 fifties during that period.However, from 2023, its yields are falling catastrophically. In 66 innings between 2023 and 2026, he averaged 29.7, scoring 12 fifties and just one century. This hundred came in Manchester during the 2023 Ashes.The decline is particularly evident against pace bowling, once an area in which Labuschagne excelled. In 2020 and 2021, he averaged 76 and 74 against fast and medium-speed pitchers, respectively. From 2019 to 2022, his overall average against fast and medium fast bowlers was 59.2.As of 2023, that number has dropped to just 28. By 2025, it has dropped to 18.

From Australia’s safety net to its loose thread

In Test cricket, the number three position carries a particular mythologised lineage. It was occupied by players like Don Bradman and Ricky Ponting for Australia. Kumar Sangakkara played at first fall for Sri Lanka, Hashim Amla played the role for South Africa and Rahul Dravid made the place synonymous with himself for India.During his peak years, Labuschagne appeared to be Australia’s long-term answer to the position.Among batsmen who played at least 15 innings at number three between 2019 and 2023, excluding players from Zimbabwe, Ireland and Afghanistan, Labuschagne averaged 65.85. Only Williamson was ahead of him with an average of 67.16.However, since 2023, Labuschagne’s third-place average has dropped to 31.72. He now has the lowest average among the same group of batters who played at least 15 innings at the position between 2019 and 2023.Number three, or any batter, can’t make a hundred every time he leaves. There will be tough conditions, good bowling and innings where survival is the primary task. However, the position requires a degree of reliability, as the consequences of failure are often felt by the middle order.This is where Labuschagne’s recent returns are particularly worrying. It doesn’t consistently fall at the first hurdle. He survives long enough to raise expectations of a big shift, but then fails to deliver.

What does Labuschagne do wrong?

Labuschagne turned 32 in June, an age at which a Test batsman would normally expect to combine experience with technical and tactical maturity. He has played enough cricket to recognize different bowling plans and has faced the best attacks in the world for years. Yet his recent performances suggest that the experience alone has not helped him find a solution.In the two Tests of the South Africa series, he scored 37, 37, 14 and 39. He crossed 30 on five occasions in the last eight innings, but repeatedly failed to go much further.Former Australia captain Greg Chappell believes Labuschagne’s problems may be part of a wider pattern that affects elite players after years at the top. In an article published in June 2025, Chappell described this as “Elite Performance Decline Syndrome”.In an interview with Fox Sports last month, Chappell suggested that Labuschagne could be going through this phase of his career with a decline in his average and impact accompanied by a loss of mental toughness.“Marnus is at a stage in his career that we all get to,” Chappell told Fox Sport last month.“What did I call it? I wrote an article: Elite Performance Decline Syndrome. You have a finite number of innings in you and somehow you ran out.”That is one explanation, but there are also technical questions. Some observers believe that Labuschagne relies too much on his chest in defense, leaving him vulnerable to edges that lead to slips. This was evident in the first innings of the second Test when he bowled Anrich Nortje to Simon Harmer.However, Australia captain Pat Cummins pointed to decision-making rather than a fundamental error in technique. Labuschagne’s attempt to hit Harmer over the boundary in the second innings was a case in point. Australia batted to save the match and the conditions, including a strong wind, offered little reason to take such a risk.“It’s definitely not a technique fault. It’s … maybe a couple of decisions, some decisions (when) maybe the play called for something a little different,” Cummins said.

How much faith can a reputation buy?

Labuschagne was given more chances than most, but Australian cricket has a history of punishing batsmen whose judgment leaves them against South Africa.Damien Martyn’s attempt to cover Allan Donald in 1994 contributed to a six-year absence from the Test team. Meanwhile, Brad Hodge was sacked by Andre Nel at the SCG in 2006 and subsequently lost his place.Labuschagne’s situation is not identical either way, but could he become the Proteas’ third victim?Cummins admitted that Labuschagne is doing the difficult part of reaching thirty against an attack that is making life miserable for Australia’s batsmen. But he also made it clear that these starts are not enough.“The balls normally work pretty well. You’ve got fresh bowlers and he’s actually making it difficult to get to 30. I think he’s got to find a way to turn them into bigger scores (because) 30s don’t win you too many matches,” Cummins said after the second Test.Labuschagne, for his part, expressed confidence in his ability to turn things around. “How can you not believe?” he said in an interview with Fox Sports ahead of the South Africa tour.He will be hoping that Australia show faith in him in the third Test in Cape Town and that he repays it with a big knock.But another setback would strengthen the case for Australian selectors to reconsider their place in the side for New Zealand’s tour of Australia in December.