Credit: Twitter
Marnus Labuschagne was the unlikely hero for Australia in their victory against South Africa, during the first ODI of the five-match series at the Mangaung Oval in Bloemfontein, on September 7, Thursday. The 29-year-old wasn't part of the playing XI for Australia, but his arrival, as a concussion substitute for Cameron Green, was predicted in the hours leading up to the match by his mother.
Notably, one of the premier batters in world cricket, Marnus Labuschagne, wasn’t picked for the ongoing one-day series against South Africa, while being left out of the ODI World Cup 2023 squad of Australia, owing to his indifferent form in the format. But he found himself in the team, as a cover for Steve Smith, who had suffered a wrist tendon injury recently.
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So, when the mother of Marnus Labuschagne told him that he would be playing the first ODI in Bloemfontein, a place which is just 250 km south of where he was born, the right-handed batter had a hard time believing in her. But, as fate would have it, Kagiso Rabada would bowl a fierce bouncer, hitting the helmet of Cameron Green, during the 223-run chase, rendering him unavailable for the rest of the match, which led to Marnus Labuschagne taking his place in the batting order.
Then, the Klerksdorp-born cricketer stayed not out till the end, scoring 80, while stitching together a match-winning partnership of 112 runs with Ashton Agar for the eighth wicket. Shortly afterward, he took to his Twitter, sending out an appreciation tweet for his mother, which read, “Always listen to your mum.”
Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne also talked about the moment with his mother, during the post-match presentation. He was quoted as saying, “She stayed for the whole game … She was adamant when I came here that I was going to play this game and I told her 'I've seen the team, mum, I'm not in the team'. She just had a feeling, and once again she's right.”