Brisbane Test: Marnus Labuschagne slams his fifth Test ton
Australian top-order batsman Marnus Labuschagne slammed his fifth Test ton in the final session on Day 1 of the fourth Test against India. His blistering knock steadied Australia's ship after the two openers David Warner and Marcus Harris departed in quick succession. The young batsman displayed a wide array of strokes in front of India's four-pronged pace attack. Here is more on the same.
Labuschagne pulls back the momentum for Australia
Labuschagne pulled back the momentum for Australia as he impressed with his gritty knock. He shared a 70-run stand with Steve Smith, who was eventually dismissed for 36. Labuschagne ended the second session on an unbeaten 73* to change the tide for Australia. In the third session, he brought up his first century of the series. He shared a 113-run stand alongside Matthew Wade.
Labuschagne's sublime run in the series
Labuschagne has been one of the top performers in the Border-Gavaskar series, so far. With a 204-ball 108 at the Gabba, he registered his third consecutive 50+ score in the series. His scores in the series read as - 47, 6, 48, 28, 91, 73 and 108. Eventually, he was dismissed by debutant T Natarajan in the final session on Day 1.
Leading run-scorer of the ICC World Test Championship
Presently, Labuschagne is the leading run-scorer of the ICC World Test Championship. With 1,650 runs at a prolific average of 75.00, he leads the runs tally by miles. He also owns most hundreds (5) in the championship. His compatriot Smith follows him on the list, in terms of runs (1,286). Meanwhile, England's Ben Stokes holds the third spot with 1,131 runs.
Second-best average in Test cricket
Labuschagne presently owns a Test average of 62.00, the second-best in the format after the great Donald Bradman (99.94), among batsmen with 15+ Tests. So far, he has racked up 1,860 runs from 18 Tests, including a best score of 215.
