Batter Marnus Labuschagne made eleven appearances for Glamorgan this season before Australia came on
| Vitality T20 Blast, South Group: Glamorgan vs. Gloucestershire |
| Venue: Sophia Gardens, Cardiff Date: Tue June 7th Time: 18:30 CET |
| Cover: ` Sport Wales and ` Radio Bristol commentary on the ` Sport website and app; Match report on the ` Sport website |
World’s top test batter Marnus Labuschagne says he wants to continue playing for Glamorgan in 2023.
Australia star Labuschagne made 11 appearances for the county in 2022 before heading to Sri Lanka.
“I love playing for the club and I definitely want to continue playing for Glamorgan but we’ll have to see how it all plays out,” he told ` Sport Wales.
South African Colin Ingram will now take his place overseas.
Labuschagne faces a hectic international schedule with Australia as well as family commitments from his wife, who is pregnant with their first child.
He scored 1114 championship runs in 2019 before impressing in Australia’s Ashes clash against England and is hoping to repeat that process.
“There’s a lot of things in the mix but I can’t see anything wrong with trying to copy the last time I played here in the Ashes and doing a little bit of County cricket with Glamorgan (going) into the next summer playing Ashes,” he told Labuschagne.
“That’s our plan but we’ve got so much cricket this year, like 16 Tests and 18 one-day games, so we need to make sure I’m fit and healthy and also able to spend time at home with my wife and kid at some point .”
Labuschagne hit 118 runs in five T20 blast innings but was prevented from signing off in style by a downpour, causing Glamorgan’s match against Surrey to be abandoned after winning two wickets with his leg spin.
The individual high point of his third year in Wales was 130 and 85 when Glamorgan nearly forced a championship win in the Derby.
He hit 377 runs with a 41 average with the bat and took 10 wickets on his leg spin and occasional seam bowling with a 28.7.
“I’ve enjoyed it a lot, I love the club and I see a lot of improvement with the likes of Kiran Carlson and David Lloyd who’s been promoted to skipper this year,” said Labuschagne.
“(Former Kent and Hampshire batter) Sam Northeast is a great signing who I have a strong bond with and it’s fun to see the club improve.
“As a club, we still have a long way to go to push the limits further. I want this club to get promoted to (Championship) Division One in the next two to three years, which should be our goal.
“We have guys like (a Queenslander) Michael Neser leading our bowling attack, although Michael Hogan (retiring) will be a massive loss. But the fun, the culture, everything about this club is why I keep turning up.”
Questions about Sri Lanka
Despite touring Pakistan with Australia, Labuschagne believes he will have to answer various questions in a one-day series and two tests in Sri Lanka.
“For me it’s my first real Subcontinent challenge against Spin, it’s all about beating that challenge. (Englands) Joe Root played phenomenally over there, I learned a lot from the way he played there,” he said.
“As a team we want to be the best in the world, no matter where they take us, we want to win games and I think we can do that in Sri Lanka. I have to get used to the conditions, the heat and the sweat, which we haven’t had in the last couple of games (in the UK).”
Ingram and fast bowler Neser will continue as Glamorgan’s overseas players this season, with Ingram likely to play more four-day cricket than in recent years after scoring 87 against Durham in the opening game before Labuschagne’s arrival.
Glamorgan have T20 home games against Gloucestershire on Tuesday 7 June and Hampshire three days later, staying at Sophia Gardens for a league game against Sussex on Sunday 12 June.
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