Marnus Labuschagne reflects on the Ashes in tell-all journal for fans  

Marnus Labuschagne has reflected on the recently concluded Ashes series by releasing a new personalized newsletter Beyond the Bat: Cricket Thoughts with Marnus.

Australian cricket's fan favorite has reflected on the team's and his individual Ashes performances. He also picked out some of his favorite moments from the 4-0 drubbing.

Labuschagne, in his uniquely eccentric nature, will write a fortnightly newsletter delivered on all things cricket.

In the first edition of Beyond the Bat with Marnus, Labuschagne said it was a great series to be a part of team-wise. He reflected on the long series where the cricket played was 'terrific'.

After assessing his individual batting performances, he revealed that the pitches were tougher to bat on than in years gone by. Labuschagne feels it allowed for a greater contest between the bat and ball, and some challenging tactics.

"Batting conditions were much tougher than I’ve seen in previous years, which made for a great contest and some interesting challenges and tactics," he said.

He added:

"Personally, I made lots of starts and was reasonably happy with the way I played. My game felt in good order technically and mentally, but that doesn't always equate to big scores. But that’s cricket, always challenging you to get better and providing opportunities to learn, and that's why I love the game."

Labuschagne started the series with a knock of 74 in Brisbane, which helped set up the first innings for Australia in the first Test. He backed that up with a couple of solid scores in Adelaide - a century in the first innings before a half-century in the second innings. His 44 on the first day of the last Test in Hobart helped rescue Australia from a poor (12/3) start on a green seaming deck.

Labuschagne's rise to the top

In December, while the Ashes series was in full swing, Labuschagne experienced a meteoric rise to become the world's best Test batter. He became just the ninth Australian to cross the 900-point mark in the ICC's Test batting rankings.

He elevated himself into the top echelon of Australian cricketers and is certainly the new stalwart for Australia at first drop. When he first topped the rankings, his average at No.3 was 72.91, bettered only by Sir Donald Bradman.

While Labuschagne maintains a very team-oriented aura, he said the individual accolade still feels weird, yet he is humbled by the achievement.

"This still feels weird to me. It was always a goal of mine to play for Australia and certainly make runs for Australia, but the ICC individual rankings were never on my radar. It's a humbling feeling but, to be honest, it’s not a focus and it will never be a measure of my contributions," he said.

He added:

"Obviously the rankings can change pretty quickly, so I'll have to keep scoring runs to stay there for a while. But speaking of no.1, Australia is back to no.1 in Test rankings! Now that’s great."

Comical dismissal in the final Test

Who could forget Labuschagne's comical dismissal in the fifth Test? He was clean bowled for 44 around his legs after being horribly tangled a couple of feet outside off-stump. A massive front-foot step, almost square of the wicket, saw him lose balance and watch a Stuart Broad seamer knock his stumps over behind his legs.

But he was still able to offer up a light-hearted reflection on that dismissal, saying it was important for him to step back and have a laugh.

"We all got into cricket because it was fun and we loved it. And anyone who’s played cricket, especially as a batsman, knows things don’t always go to plan. Sometimes when things don't go quite to plan, I think it's really important to take a step back and have a laugh. I've found this perspective helpful in moving forward, rather than getting bogged down in negativity," he said.

What next for the Aussie batter?

That innings also marked the end of Australia's Test summer. The next event on the schedule for Labuschagne was supposed to be the ODI series vs New Zealand, but that has since been postponed.

Labuschagne revealed his plans for the next few weeks as a slight gap is felt in the international schedule.

"I'll have a few weeks at home getting some rest in, spending time with my wife, family and friends and prepping for the Pakistan test series. It also means playing cricket for the Bulls and maybe even a game or two for Redlands," he said.

But the obsessive batter will probably find it hard to stay away from the nets and cream a few drives.

Respect for his teammates

As for his teammates, Labuschagne highlighted the following: Mitch Starc's incredible summer, Nathan Lyon's 400th Test wicket, Michael Neser's debut, Scott Boland's 7/6, and Usman Khawaja's two centuries in Sydney as his favorite moments.