Marnus Leads Way For Bulls

Kieran Elliott delivered the ball full and wide. Queensland’s number three pressed forward with a high elbow and found the gap. He didn’t get all of it, the ball glancing off the outside portion of the willow, but it was enough.

By the time Jake Weatherald gathered and threw from the boundary, Marnus Labuschagne’s arms were raised aloft. In one hand his Kookaburra Ghost, in the other a burgundy Bulls helmet. 

Labuschagne had arrived for the summer.

On a morning when Brisbane celebrated the unofficial moniker of “Title Town”, one of the city’s favourite cricketing sons methodically took down Tasmania’s attack. 

There will be caveats to his innings. It is an undeniably flat pitch. Tasmania, missing the extra pace of Riley Meredith and the guile of Beau Webster, were toothless with the old ball. Labuschagne arrived in the 39th over at 1-137 with all the pressure extinguished. 

But it was runs, 160 of them in front of Australia’s national selector, George Bailey.

Chewing gum with the vigour of Viv Richards and a bat speed to rival the Master Blaster, Marnus Labuschagne made a statement heard from the Adelaide Oval to the WACA. 

Resuming his innings on 54*, he played within himself as Renshaw added 14 runs to his overnight score (128)  and Jack Clayton farmed the majority of the strike.

Tasmania were inventive with their plans for Labuschagne, setting two catching mid-wickets and a deep forward square-leg.

In response the 58-test international was unperturbed, threading singles and the occasional two off his pads.

He freed the arms when spinner Nivethan Radhakrishnan was brought into the attack, but the ambidextrous tweaker was unlucky with a missed stumping opportunity when Labuschagne was on 98*. 

The prodigious Queenslander brought up his ton in the next over to rapturous applause, running four with the desperation of a man sprinting to catch the last express train to Cleveland.

In the middle session, Labuschagne’s innings accelerated faster than a line-breaking run from Reece Walsh.

Where he played square in the morning he hit straight in the afternoon.

Queensland surpassed Tasmania’s first innings total of 379 and Labuschagne opened the face to dissect gully with two cuts so late John Arlott would have described them as “positively posthumous.”

The Tigers spread the field and employed their two part-time spinners waiting for a declaration that never came.

Labuschagne waltzed to 150, dancing down the track to take on Tassie’s straight fielders. He fell for 160 attempting a reverse-sweep, walking off to a standing ovation from both pavilions.

It was an innings that not only knocked on the door to Ashes’ selection, but blew it off its hinges. Assured outside off-stump, confident on the back foot and assertive on the front foot, Labuschagne bounced around the crease with his trademark theatrics and exuberance. 

Together with Jack Clayton (59), Jack Wildermuth (39) and debutant Hugh Weibgen (39), the Bulls piled on 3-153 in the second session. 

Tasmania stunted Queensland’s first innings lead in the last session through debutant leg-spinner Nikhil Chaudhary (5-101) with Queensland finishing on 612 and Tasmania 233 runs in arrears.

Jack Wildermuth made a late breakthrough for the Bulls in the last hour, removing Radhakrishnan for 11. Tasmania are 1/62 at stumps with Tim Ward (11*) and Jake Weatherald (30*) at the crease. 

On what would have been Richie Benaud’s 95th birthday,  we are reminded that the great man once said,  “batting is a major trial before an 11-man jury”.

However, for Jake Weatherald, tomorrow’s inning will capture the attention of a much larger audience.

He has one last opportunity to compile a score that eclipses Labuschagne’s knock before Tasmania head home to face Western Australia and Queensland travel to the Adelaide Oval.

The question as to whether it will be enough to clinch an Ashes spot can only be answered in two months.

For now, the jury is still out.