[Watch] Marnus Labuschagne picks up a five-wicket haul in Glamorgan's mammoth win over Somerset in T20 BlastÂ
Glamorgan batter, or rather all-rounder, Marnus Labuschagne, registered a memorable five-wicket haul in the thumping win over Somerset in the T20 Blast at the Sophia Gardens in Cardiff on Friday, July 19. The Australian international signed off from the league with a memorable display as Glamorgan failed to qualify for the quarter-finals.
Labuschagne had already set the competition alight with his surprisingly accurate short-format bowling, electric fielding and modern batting. The right-handed batter, usually renowned and perceived as a red-ball specialist, has certainly made a case with his recent displays for Glamorgan.
Glamorgan coasted to 243-4 in their final league stage game, on the back of a hundred by Kiran Carlson. Defending the score, the new ball bowlers induced a collapse as Somerset tried to go all out in a bid to chase it down.
Labuschagne was introduced into the attack in the tenth over of the innings, by which time Somerset had already lost half their side. The part-time leg spinner was hit for a couple of boundaries in his first over, but dismissed the opposition skipper Lewis Gregory off the last ball.
Labuschagne ran through the lower order with three scalps in his next over, all of them being bowled dismissals as the batters failed to deal with the turn. He wrapped up the proceedings midway through his third over by casting Jake Bell to claim a fifer and ensure a 120-run for his side. Have a look at the incredible spell right here:
The Australian only needed 2.3 overs to pick up five wickets, and ended with figures of 5-11. The figures are now the best by a Glamorgan bowler in the shortest format, beating Graham Wagg's effort of 5-15 from 2013.
Marnus Labuschagne scored 228 runs and picked up 15 wickets in 2024 T20 Blast
After an underwhelming Australian summer and slipping down to 12th in the ICC rankings for Test batters, Labuschagne was in desperate need of a revival. He was not in the spotlight with the focus switching to the shortest format in the form of the 2024 IPL and the 2024 T20 World Cup.
His recent stint with Glamorgan can certainly be stated as a success. He scored 228 runs in 12 innings in the T20 Blast at a strike rate of 121.27. However, it is his bowling contribution that comes across as a surprise. He picked up 15 wickets at an economy of 7.87.
In the County Championship, he scored 468 runs in four appearances at an average of 58.50. He will be returning to England shortly when Australia tours the country for a white-ball series in September. Although overlooked for the T20 squad, he is a part of the ODI squad.