"He was shadow batting in the department store" - Mark Waugh calls for Marnus Labuschagne to break away amidst form slump

Former Australian batter Mark Waugh feels struggling batter Marnus Labuschagne must break away from the game during his off-time to avoid suffocation.

After a sensational start to his Test career that saw him dominate with the willow from 2019 to 2022, the 29-year-old has been in a horrific form slump of late. Labuschagne has scored only one century and six half-centuries in 17 Tests since the beginning of 2023.

In fact, the right-handed batter has scored only 22 runs in his last three Tests at a woeful average of 4.40.

Speaking to Fox Cricket, Waugh cited the incident of his friend watching Labuschagne shadow batting even in a department store to emphasize his point.

"The worrying sign for me about Marnus is he’s so intense. He’s 24 hours a day — eats, sleeps and drinks cricket. And I wonder when you get in a bit of a rut, is that going to suffocate you? He was in there with his tracksuit on, he had a backpack on and he had his bat and he was shadow batting in the department store. So he needs to break free of that," said Waugh.

Despite Labuschagne's lack of runs, Australia have continued their dominance in Tests, winning the World Test Championship (WTC) final last year and five of their last six games in the summer.

The star batter still boasts healthy overall numbers in Tests, with over 4,000 runs at an average of 49.60 in 49 outings.

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"It might be as simple as having a bit of luck in the next dig" - Mark Waugh

New Zealand v Australia - Men's 1st Test: Day 1

Mark Waugh further highlighted the role of 'luck' while expanding on Marnus Labuschagne's excellent start in Tests and recent poor form.

In his most recent outing in the first Test against New Zealand, Labuschagne was strangled down the leg side after scoring just two runs.

"If he can just forget about batting 24 hours a day and have a bit of luck. The first half of his career he had a bit of luck, [he] got dropped a few times. The next part of his career he’s had no luck, he’s got caught down the leg side, he’s making one mistake and he’s getting out. So, it might be as simple as having a bit of luck in the next dig and he’ll be fine," said Waugh.

Waugh also backed the selectors to continue showing faith in Labuschange despite his horrific run.

"I think the selectors will show faith in Marnus. He’s got a few credits in the bank, let’s be fair. He’s a fantastic player. He’s going through a rut," added Waugh.

Labuschagne will play his 50th Test in the series finale against New Zealand, starting at Christchurch on March 8. Australia won the first Test by a massive 172 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match affair.