Important to have a plan when ball is consistently spinning: Marnus Labuschagne

The historical bilateral tie between Pakistan and Australia is scheduled to begin on March 4, 2022 with the first Test of the three-match series taking place in Rawalpindi.

For any side touring the Asian continent, negotiating spin bowling is considered to be a task. In an interaction with Cricbuzz, Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne talked about his preparations, adapting to the conditions and a Pakistan great whom he has been following lately.

“Mohammad Yousuf is a beautiful batter. Jeez I hadn't watched him for a while. I had watched him but not heaps. He's one guy that I've seen a lot of now. Younis Khan is one that changed his technique a lot when he played in different conditions. He gets quite low and is willing to look ugly to just be effective,” he said.

The Australian batter also shared his thoughts on negating the spin and the chat he had with Joe Root after the Ashes series.

“The big hurdles to come across is when that ball is new and it's spinning big, and also sliding on. You need to have really good plans for that type of bowling. Also having a plan for when the ball is consistently spinning, and every ball is spinning big. I picked up a few small things here and there. I spoke to Joe after the Ashes and asked him a few things about playing in those conditions,” Labuschagne said.

“The way Joe plays spin is very close to the set of skills that I have. Being able to work the ball around, being able to sweep, being able to tuck the ball off my legs. And I think that's why I always like watching what he's doing quite closely,” he added.

Talking about the sweep shot, the Australian batter insisted that he is a believer that it is primarily a premeditated stroke.

“I'm a firm believer that the sweep shot is primarily a premeditated shot. So, you just need to find a way with which you can play any version of the sweep shot-in front or to square if it's wider, or if it's straighter, behind square. Making sure, you do whatever you can so that the ball can't get under the bat,” he said.

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