Marnus Labuschagne can carry his form onto T20s, reckons Steve Smith

Marnus Labuschagne might have stepped into the Australian team as a 'concussion substitute' but the youngster has made the most of his opportunity fixing the number three spot to his name. After an amazing home Test summer, Labuschgange drifted into the ODI team against India and did not fail to impress. Marnus' batting technique and style has often drawn comparisons with ace batsman Steve Smith. 

'It is about taking it to the next level'

The veteran batsman on Tuesday hailed Labuschagne and said that after an amazing Test and ODI series, there is no reason why Labuschagne cannot carry his form in T20s. Labuschagne is set to feature in the BBL for the Brisbane Heat and will square off against Steve Smith's Sixers on Thursday. "We saw how he grew in Test cricket over the summer, the way he played and in his first few one-day games he looked right at home. Now it is (about) taking that to the next level in T20," Cricket Australia quoted Smith. 

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Furthermore, Steve Smith added, "He is so quick between the wickets so there are lots of twos to be had. You need those sorts of players in your team in T20 cricket. He certainly has a bright future." Marnus Labuschagne had a formidable ODI series against India. The debutant scored 46 and 54 in the second and third ODI respectively. However, after a thumping victory in the first ODI, the visitors failed to maintain their lead and eventually lost the series 2-1 to India. 

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'He is going to be a huge player'

Earlier before the ODI series against India, Steve Smith had expressed that he likes Marnus' willingness to learn. "That's is the real challenge for him now, having that amazing series, there's going to be that expectation there now and it's about managing that," Smith was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au. "The 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."

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