Published 11:47 IST, January 14th 2020

Steven Smith predicts Labuschagne can be a big player in future if he keeps a level head

Australia batting mainstay Steven Smith has predicted that rising star Marnus Labuschagne can be a future influential player if he keeps a level head

SportFit
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Australia batting mainstay Steven Smith has predicted that rising star Marnus Labuschagne can be a future influential player if he keeps a level head after his breakthrough season. Smith advised 22-year-old Labuschagne to stay grounded after his meteoric rise in international cricket, which saw him post 896 runs at an aver of 112, hitting four centuries -- two each against Pakistan and New Zealand -- this season so far. He is w third in ICC Test Rankings for batsmen behind India captain Virat Kohli and Smith.

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'That's is real challenge for him w': Steve Smith

"That's is real challenge for him w, having that amazing series, re's going to be that expectation re w and it's about managing that," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au." thing I like about Marnus is his willingness to learn and how quickly he picks things up, and if he continues to do that, he's going to be a huge player for Australia for a long time."

experienced Smith has been able to prolong his success in years since his breakout summer of 2014-15 and he asked rookie Labuschagne to do same."He's got a good head on his shoulders, he's got that belief in himself w that he can do it, w it's about resetting clock every time he goes out to play. He's got a really good understanding of how he wants to play and that's a huge thing for a young player."To have that understanding and be able to stick to something for a prolonged period of time and trust it's going to work, he's found that method w and I have doubt he's going to get better."

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