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The Australian batsman methodically applies butter on both sides of a slice of soft bread. “That’s essential,” he states as he brings down the lid of his sandwich grill. “There you go. Then you get it golden on both sides.” He lifts the lid to reveal a golden square of delicious perfection, the gooey cheese happily sizzling within. “Here’s the trick of the trade,” he announces. At which point, he does something unexpected and strange.

Already, it’s clear a glaze of ennui is beginning to appear in your eyes. The alarm bells of elaborate writing are flashing wildly. You’re likely conscious that Labuschagne scored 160 for Queensland Bulls this week and is being feverishly talked up for an return to the Test side before the Ashes series.

No doubt you’d prefer to read more about his performance. But first – you now understand with frustration – you’re going to have to sit through a section of wobbling whimsy about grilled cheese, plus an additional unnecessary part of tiresome meta‑deconstruction in the second person. You feel resigned.

Labuschagne flips the sandwich on to a plate and moves toward the fridge. “Few try this,” he announces, “but I actually like the toastie cold. There, in the fridge. You allow the cheese to set, head to practice, come back. Boom. It’s ideal.”

On-Field Matters

Alright, to cut to the chase. Shall we get the cricket bit initially? Quick update for reading until now. And while there may only be six weeks until the first Test, Labuschagne’s century against Tasmania – his third of the summer in all formats – feels quietly decisive.

We have an Aussie opening batsmen clearly missing form and structure, shown up by the Proteas in the WTC final, exposed again in the West Indies after that. Labuschagne was dropped during that tour, but on one hand you sensed Australia were eager to bring him back at the earliest chance. Now he appears to have given them the right opportunity.

And this is a approach the team should follow. The opener has one century in his past 44 innings. Konstas looks less like a Test opener and rather like the attractive performer who might portray a cricketer in a Bollywood epic. Other candidates has made a cogent case. McSweeney looks finished. Harris is still surprisingly included, like moths or damp. Meanwhile their leader, the pace bowler, is injured and suddenly this feels like a surprisingly weak team, short of strength or equilibrium, the kind of effortless self-assurance that has often helped Australia dominate before a match begins.

Labuschagne’s Return

Step forward Marnus: a world No 1 Test batter as recently as 2023, just left out from the 50-over squad, the ideal candidate to return structure to a brittle empire. And we are advised this is a composed and reflective Labuschagne currently: a streamlined, fundamental-focused Labuschagne, not as extremely focused with small details. “I feel like I’ve really simplified things,” he said after his ton. “Not really too technical, just what I need to bat effectively.”

Of course, nobody truly believes this. Probably this is a rebrand that exists just in Labuschagne’s own head: still constantly refining that approach from all day, going deeper into fundamentals than anyone else would try. Like basic approach? Marnus will devote weeks in the training with coaches and video clips, thoroughly reshaping his game into the least technical batter that has ever been seen. This is just the trait of the obsessed, and the characteristic that has long made Labuschagne one of the most wildly absorbing players in the cricket.

Wider Context

Maybe before this highly uncertain historic rivalry, there is even a type of appealing difference to Labuschagne’s constant dedication. On England’s side we have a side for whom any kind of analysis, not to mention self-review, is a risky subject. Trust your gut. Be where the ball is. Smell the now.

On the opposite side you have a batsman like Labuschagne, a man completely dedicated with the game and totally indifferent by others’ opinions, who finds cricket even in the moments outside play, who treats this absurd sport with just the right measure of absurd reverence it requires.

And it worked. During his shamanic phase – from the instant he appeared to come in for a hurt Smith at Lord’s in 2019 to around the end of 2022 – Labuschagne found a way to see the game on another level. To tap into it – through sheer intensity of will – on a different, unusual, intense plane. During his time with English county cricket, teammates would find him on the game day sitting on a park bench in a trance-like state, actually imagining every single ball of his innings. Per cricket statisticians, during the initial period of his career a surprisingly high number of chances were spilled from his batting. Remarkably Labuschagne had intuited what would happen before fielders could respond to affect it.

Recent Challenges

It’s possible this was why his career began to disintegrate the moment he reached the summit. There were no new heights to imagine, just a unknown territory before his eyes. Also – to be fair – he stopped trusting his favorite stroke, got trapped on the crease and seemed to lose awareness of his stumps. But it’s part of the same issue. Meanwhile his coach, Neil D’Costa, reckons a emphasis on limited-overs started to weaken assurance in his technique. Encouragingly: he’s just been dropped from the ODI side.

Surely it matters, too, that Labuschagne is a strongly faithful person, an religious believer who holds that this is all preordained, who thus sees his role as one of accessing this state of flow, however enigmatic and inexplicable it may look to the mortal of us.

This approach, to my mind, has always been the primary contrast between him and Steve Smith, a more naturally gifted player