"It's a series, and we dominated that series" - Marnus Labuschagne on Stuart Broad's 'void' 2021-22 Ashes claims
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has hit back over Stuart Broad's claims of the 2021-22 Ashes series being 'null and void' due to the restrictions dictated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Aussies had decimated the visitors by a 4-0 margin to retain the urn and are now currently on English shores for the World Test Championship (WTC) final as well as the Ashes. England were in tatters under Joe Root's captaincy, recording heavy defeats during the series to mark their third successive series loss in Australia.
Australia have not fared well in English conditions with the last away series ending in a 2-2 draw and their last series win coming in 2001.
"It's a series and Australia, we dominated that series. Take everything out of it, our job is to perform on the field. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are externally. And we did that. Hopefully we can continue to do that this series," Labuschagne, who famously came in as a concussion substitute for Steve Smith in the 2019 Ashes, told AAP.
Labuschagne's teammates Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon have maintained a similar stance over Stuart Broad's comments surrounding the 2021-22 Ashes.
"You come to England, you know you play Thursday to Sunday for seven weeks straight" - Marnus Labuschagne
Marnus Labuschagne came into the spotlight after scoring four straight fifties in the 2019 Ashes. His domination against England continued with a hundred and a fifty in the 2021-22 series Down Under.
The No.1-ranked Test batter has been honing his skills and preparing for the red-ball season with a stint with Glamorgan in the County Championship.
Labuschagne stated that playing constant cricket in England has helped in maintaining his rhythm ahead of the WTC final and Ashes.
"In Australia we might have a week-and-a-half or even more between games. You go back to training and you might have got out a certain way and you start tinkering.You come to England, you know you play Thursday to Sunday for seven weeks straight. If you miss out a game, you just stick to the same process. It creates good habits of scoring runs," he said.
The middle-order batter has been in great touch for Glamorgan of late, scoring 502 runs at an average of 71.71.
Australia will take on India in the WTC final from June 7 onwards at The Oval. The Ashes, on the other other hand, is scheduled to begin on June 16.