Australian batting sensation Marnus Labuschagne had a memorable outing in Perth on the opening day of the ongoing first Test against West Indies. His love affair with Optus Stadium continued as the Queenslander smashed his second century in three matches at the venue.
During his spellbinding display of batting, Labuschagne took charge against Windies pacer Alzarri Joseph and hit him for a massive six. It all happened in the 73rd over of the Aussie innings when Joseph came round the wicket and banged in short, targeting the batters’ shoulders.
Labuschagne saw the ball till the last moment, swiveled around and used Alzarri’s pace before sending the red leather sailing into the stands at fine leg for a humungous six.
Here is the video:
That’s a biggie!
Marnus Labuschagne got every piece of this hook shot off Alzarri Joseph! #OhWhatAFeeling @Toyota_Aus | #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/YSEdycXnYA
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 30, 2022
Labuschagne’s stunning ton put Australia on top
On a fast and bouncy track, Australian skipper Pat Cummins opted to bat first, and his decision backfired early as young seamer Jayden Seales dismissed David Warner in the fourth over to leave the hosts 9/1.
However, Warner’s opening partner Usman Khawaja and number three batter Labuschagne joined hands to bail the hosts out. The duo completely took the pressure off and ended up forming a scintillating 142 runs partnership for the second wicket.
While Khawaja was removed for a well-made 65 off 149 balls, Labuschagne stayed firm at the other end and built another game-changing stand with former skipper Steve Smith. The pair of Smith and Labuschagne went on to stitch an unbeaten 142-run stand for the third wicket to put Australia on top at 293/2 on Day 1.
Labuschagne smashed an incredible hundred and remained undefeated at 154 off 270 with the help of 16 fours and a six. Smith, on the other hand, stayed not out on 59, including seven boundaries.
“When you finish the day at around 300 for 2, you’ll feel good. It was nice to build partnerships throughout the day. It helps coming from Brisbane (home ground), the conditions are pretty similar here, you can understand the conditions better when compared to Adelaide or Sydney,” said Labuschagne after the end of the day’s play.