Told to free himself of ‘self-imposed shackles’ to rediscover best form for Ashes
Marnus Labuschagne hit his stride in the MCG nets ahead of the Sydney Test.Credit: Getty Images
“We saw the way he played in the first few Test matches earlier in the summer – great intent, good movement, positive. It’s a tough game and batting is tricky on some of these surfaces, but it’s really about the mentality of going out and scoring runs. And we’ve been consistent in that view from the start.”
“And Marn will probably get into the technique a little bit more than us, but we think it’s a part of the mentality and the intention to score goals and if he does that then he’s done his best.”
D’Costa said Labuschagne’s dismissal for getting stuck in the cordon on a fast-paced drive in the first inning on the difficult track in Melbourne and cutting the defense in the second inning could have been avoided if he had been trying to score.
D’Costa said he had missed previous scoring opportunities to strike in the first over.
“Looking at what led to this, I felt like I could see this coming,” D’Costa said. “He didn’t play very well in that one. He might have had a chance to get out a few strikes. He wasn’t using his bat as straight as he could have been. He wasn’t as positive as he could have been, he got stuck in the swing and that led to an error in judgment.”
D’Costa said that with the second shot, Labuschagne “should have been two meters outside the crease and hit the mid-off mark”.
“That positive footwork comes from a positive mindset and looking at the score,” D’Costa said.
D’Costa believes Labuschagne’s eyes and reflexes remain sharp, as evidenced by his capture of this series, and that his problems lie in his head.
“Why is this happening? He needs to look in the mirror and ask himself,” D’Costa said.
“There was a desire to wet the balls. Sometimes you think you’re going to go in and bat long and you get yourself in a hole.
“Once you decide that I’m going to sit here, you’re stuck – it’s that simple. You have to decide that I’m going to look to score goals and defend the balls I need according to your risk management system. Once you see that ball to attack, your footwork and weight transfer is good and you walk away.”
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