Marnus Labuschagne's remarkable six months with the bat reached new heights on the second day of AusvNZ when his double century made him the most prolific Australian batsman ever in a five-Test home summer
Harvey said there would never be another batsman like his former captain Bradman. But while the sample size for Labuschagne is small – he has only 22 Test innings behind him – he boasts an average of 63.63 that is second only to the Don's 99.94 and ahead of Smith's 62.84.
"He's got discipline and concentration," Harvey said. "It looks as though he's going to be around for quite some time. He might pinch some of Smith's mantle."Labuschagne is also blessed with great self-belief, with a much-discussed obsession with all things batting and an insatiable work ethic, but even he could not have foreseen the fruits of the past six weeks, particularly when he was left out of the team at the start of the Ashes in England in August.
It was there that the county's coach, Matthew Maynard, unloaded when he thought he should have made a then-elusive first-class double ton. "I was like 'that's a bit stiff', but he's been great. As a player sometimes you don't realise that in the moment because when you're on a higher score you're playing with a bit of freedom instead of realising the opportunity you do have."The county stint proved a masterstroke.
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