Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne’s struggle to score a Test century continues after a modest 37-run knock against South Africa in Durban. Despite his prolonged slump since July 2023, captain Pat Cummins continues to back the number three batter to rediscover his international form.
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne’s drought to end his Test century continues as he had a modest outing in the first Test of the three-match series against South Africa at Kingsmead in Durban on Friday, October 9.
Marnus Labuchagne walked out to bat after Travis Head’s 9-run dismissal at 17/1 in Australia’s innings and then shared a crucial 60-run partnership with Steve Smith before his dismissal for 37 off 58 balls at 84/3, further extending his drought for a Test century since 2023. Labuchagne’s brief stay at the crease was laced with 6 fours.
Despite the right-handed batter’s inconsistent run in the format, Australian management continued to back him at number three, with his selection to the squad for the three-match series coming on the back of his crucial experience and a timely hundred in the pre-series warm-up game against the CSA Invitation XI.
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How Did Marnus Labuschagne Perform Since His Last Test Century?
Marnus Labuschagne has emerged as Australia’s batting mainstay in the format and was considered one of the pillars of the team’s batting lineup following his meteoric rise in international cricket. However, the Queensland captain has endured a prolonged slump in the format, having not scored a Test century for over three years.
The last time Labuschagne scored a Test century was in July 2023, when he scored a gritty 111 off 182 balls in Australia’s first innings batting in the fourth Ashes Test against England at Old Trafford in Manchester. Since then, the 32-year-old’s quest has been to put an end to his century drought in the format.
Since his last Test century, Marcus Labuschagne has featured in 24 matches, including the ongoing match against South Africa in Durban, and aggregated 1000 runs, including 9 fifties, at an average of 25 in 44 innings. His highest Test score since his last century was 90 against New Zealand at Christchurch in March 2024.
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Labuschagne was dropped from the Australian squad for the West Indies series, highlighting selectors’ growing willingness to make bold calls amid his prolonged slump and to earn back his national selection by performing in the Sheffield Shield.
During the home Ashes Test series 2025/26, Marnus Labuschagne had a decent outing, scoring 259 runs, including two fifties, at an average of 28.77 in five matches. In the two-match Test series against Bangladesh in August this year, Labuschagne scored just 36 runs across three innings, struggling to find his rhythm against the turning tracks.
Labuschagne Gets Cummins Back to Perform
Despite performing well in Sheffield Shield 2025/26, where he scored 525 runs in 8 matches for Queensland, and then 111-run innings in a practice match against CSA Invitation XI, Marnus Labuschagne’s ongoing search to convert domestic momentum into an elusive Test hundred remains one of the most talked-about storylines in Australian cricket.
Speaking on the eve of the Durban Test, Australia skipper Pat Cummins offered staunch support for his under-fire number three, stating that he earned his way back into the squad after being dropped from the West Indies series, adding that he has full confidence in the batter’s ability to rediscover his best form at the international level.
“He’s got the experience. He doesn’t need to go searching for something that he doesn’t already have down there. I think it’s him finding his way back to when he was at his best. I think we’ve seen that in the last six months,” Cummins told reporters.
“I know a lot of it hasn’t translated to Test runs, but we love what he’s bringing. We love his approach. He’s hitting the ball beautifully in the nets. I know it doesn’t guarantee success out in the field, but we think he’s really well placed,” he added.
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In his Test career, Marnus Labuschagne has aggregated 4767 runs, including 11 centuries and 25 fifties, at an average of 43.73 in 118 innings across 66 matches.
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