Marnus Labuschagne exhibits his dynamism as nightmarish pair reunite to thwart another Men in Blue

The Trent Bridge Stadium in Nottingham on Thursday (September 19) wasn't as ominous a cauldron for Marnus Labuschagne as the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad during the 2023 World Cup final. A familiar face in Travis Head was waiting for him to join as Australia were on their way to chasing down 316. The Head-Labuschagne pair was not so familiar in the sense that the pair has been part of the XI on multiple occasions across formats.

It was 10 months ago on the exact date that the duo silenced a colossal crowd in Ahmedabad with a nerves-of-steel partnership to propel Australia to World Cup glory. Although both Head and Labuschagne had played some notable ODI innings, their exploits on a juicy surface in Ahmedabad were the ones putting them on the map.

Head already held the reputation of belting a match-winning 163 in the first innings of the World Test Championship (WTC) final. But to do it with such aplomb against a red-hot Indian side, fresh off winning 10 consecutive games and eyeing blood for the decider lost 20 years ago made him the demigod among Indian fans too. As for the 30-year-old, it was a redemption arc as sweet as any after not finding a place in the initial World Cup squad.

As the duo nailed yet another run-chase against a team of blue by finding their range, it was a cruel reminder for a cricket-crazy nation what this Aussie team had achieved 10 months ago.

And it was that big-match temperament that seems to have come to the fore on Thursday when Australia were in pursuit of a big ask in Nottingham. Although Australia have hardly played 50-over cricket since the World Cup final, it seems the innings in Ahmedabad might have been that kicker Labuschagne's ODI career needed.

It was on the fore in Nottingham when Labuschagne channeled the Travis Head in him.

Marnus Labuschagne shows off his range to shut the door on England

Marnus Labuschagne (Image Credits: Getty)

Head was well and truly into the zone during Labuschagne's point of entry in Nottingham, but the target was so steep that the latter needed an extra hand. Although Australia started solidly, the surface assisting spin made it seem like a collapse was on the corner. It was a surface where starting shakily looked normal, but the trio of Head, Steven Smith, and Cameron Green disproved that notion.

Smith and Green are not exactly the power-hitters, but both scored at brisk rates, proving a perfect foil to Head. Hence, the expectation from Labuschagne was also the same when he walked in and Australia were 147 adrift, but still had 143 balls to get the job done. An illness striking the camp meant the tourists didn't have the dynamism of Glenn Maxwell.

Thus, Head's scalp meant that England could strangle the reigning world champions and back them into the corner. As the case was, the Queensland batter began slowly even as his partner at the other end was getting the ball away comfortably to put Australia on track.

But Maxwell's manipulation of the ball that Australia were potentially going to miss came none other than from Labuschagne. His innings seemed to be yet another second-fiddle to Head's until the takedown of Liam Livingstone in the 37th over. Livingstone had climbed to the top of the all-rounder's T20I rankings the same day due to his incisive spin-bowling in the preceding series, and returned for another spell.

However, it was a harbinger of India's stormy win as the South Africa-born player smacked two sixes and a four to change gears. With a bit of swagger and chatter, the right-hander left Livingstone with an eye-watering haul of 9-0-75-1 after a promise that began by dismissing Smith. Head, at the other end, was still going brutal and showed no signs of slowing down. However, it was the onslaught from Labuschagne amid the seven-wicket pounding that was revealing.

It was a complete contrast from last year's World Cup final when Head was the aggressor and the man at the other end used his Test-match skills to navigate to the target. The 2023 World Cup final arguably saw one of the most defiant partnerships. On Thursday, Nottingham not only witnessed defiance but also a peek of how the pair will form the nucleus of the team in the near future.