"Who's this guy? This isn't Steve Smith"- Marnus Labuschagne recalls his first Ashes experience at Lord's

Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne's first major impact was arguably during the 2019 Ashes Test match a Lord's. The right-hander had replaced star batter Steve Smith as a concussion substitute in the final innings and played a crucial role in the Aussies securing a draw.

He scored a crucial half-century, but the experience was a rather tough lesson for him as the batter was hit by a vicious short ball from speedster Jofra Archer. However, the way Labuschagne got back up and made eye contact with the bowler spoke volumes about his confidence.

In a video posted by cricket.com.au, here's what Marnus Labuschagne had to say about his experience of walking out to bat at Lord's for the first time:

"The last time I walked through, they didn't know who I was. So they weren't really clapping out of excitement. They were giving me a pity clap. They were like 'Who's this guy? This isn't Steve Smith'. I assume it will be different walking out this time. That memory of Archer hitting me and me getting up and facing some (chin) music and being able to get fifty, holds a very special memory in my heart."

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Marnus Labuschagne wants to focus on the present

Although Marnus Labuschagne has great memories of Lord's, he feels he needs to focus on the present and think about what he can contribute to help his team with the Test and the series.

On this, Labuschagne stated:

"Playing at Lord's is a privilege because of the ground, the history, and the uniqueness of the venue. It is obviously a great memory for me as I had my first crack at Ashes cricket. History is history. How I played there is not important for what's to come. For me, it's about how I am going to help this team win the Test and how are we going to win games for Australia."

Labuschagne had a quiet game with scores of 0 and 13 in the first Ashes 2023 Test in Edgbaston. He will be motivated to get back to his best at Lord's.