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What's the story?
Marnus Labuschagne can join Sir Don Bradman, Jack Fingleton, Neil Harvey, Matthew Hayden and Steve Smith in an elite group of Australian batsmen who have scored a century in four consecutive Tests if he records a hundred in the Boxing Day Test match against New Zealand.
The background
Labuschagne made his Test debut for Australia last year and rose to the top in no time. The right-handed batsman is the only cricketer to have scored over 1,000 Test runs in 2019. He achieved the feat riding on his three centuries in the last three Test matches. With scores of 185, 162 and 143 in the last three games, the South Africa-born batsman has showcased his consistency in the longest format of the sport.
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heart of the matter
The 25-year-old batting all-rounder has cemented his spot in the Australian Test team with his magnificent performances. He decimated the New Zealand bowling attack in the previous Test by aggregating 193 runs in two innings. The Kiwi bowlers could not trouble Labuschagne much, and hence, he may become the sixth Australian player to score a hundred in four straight Test matches.
Legendary batsman Sir Don Bradman achieved the feat on three different occasions, with his longest streak of scoring consecutive centuries stretching to six Test matches. Steve Smith was the last Australian to score a hundred in four consecutive Tests. He accomplished the milestone in the 2014-15 season.
What's next?
The second Test match between Australia and New Zealand will begin tomorrow at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It will be intriguing to see if Labuschagne can continue his rich run-scoring form in the upcoming match.
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