Marnus hoping to soar in the Ashes
CRICKET: Marnus Labuschagne was pushing the hotspot camera from side to side for Channel Nine at the Gabba in 2010 when he saw his “coolest” Ashes moment.
The South African-born batsmen fell in love with the Australia-England contest in 2005 when, as an 11-year-old cricket nut freshly moved to Queensland, he devoured arguably the greatest ever series on TV.
But his fondest Ashes memory came five years later when, from the second level of the grandstand, he witnessed the Peter Siddle hat-trick in the first Test of the 2010/11 series, a magic moment he was paid to watch.
“I was doing hotspot for the game, up on the second level, like moving the camera from side to side, and I was there for the hat-trick, that was pretty cool,” Labuschagne said in Birmingham ahead of the first Test on Thursday.
“I was literally a ring-in, I knew some guy and I got paid to watch the game, so it was a win for me back then. I was getting paid, like $90 a day, to move the camera around.”
As cricket nufties go in the current Australian squad, Labuschagne rivals former captain Steve Smith for king nerd.
He also has a fervour for bats and is carting 10 around England. He has a new one and right down the bottom is a sticker he had specially made, one which goes on all his bats. It’s a picture of an eagle, a reference to one of his favourite Bible passages.
“For those who hope in the Lord, He shall renew their strength,” the passage reads.
“They shall soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not be faint.”
If Labuschagne can live up to those words in the Ashes, Australia’s batting order could yet be in good hands.