Labuschagne lies in waiting, ready to get busy on return

Marnus Labuschagne is ready to embrace a hectic schedule when cricket resumes, having made the leap from fringe player to stardom after benefiting from a near non-stop stretch of games in England.

The rise and rise of Labuschagne, who a year ago was left off Cricket Australia's contract list and considered a long shot to make the Ashes squad, has been nothing short of remarkable.

A number of factors have helped Labuschagne climb a staggering 107 spots on the ICC Test batting rankings to his current rank of No.3, but the right-hander has repeatedly spoken glowingly about the finishing school that is county cricket.

Labuschagne's 1,114 runs for Glamorgan earned him an invite to Australia's intra-squad selection trial, where he impressed sufficiently to earn a spot in the Ashes squad and a chance to step up as Steve Smith's concussion substitute at Lord's.

The Klerksdorp-born revelation has since scored 1,249 Test runs at an average of 83.26, earning immense praise from Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and so many of the game's most respected figures.

The young gun, likened to a bunny by Kohli because of his infinite energy on the field, relished the relentless domestic schedule in England.

It is one of many things the 25-year-old, who should currently be crisscrossing England and Wales with Glamorgan teammates but is instead isolating at home in Brisbane, misses deeply.

"It's very sad," Labuschagne told AAP. "I really enjoyed it last year. I loved Glamorgan, hence why I signed a two-year extension.

"It's disappointing to see them and England cricket in trouble. It's our responsibility, cricket on the whole, to make sure once this period is over that we get games on television and get the sport started again. We need to support each other."

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted international sport throughout the world, creating a financial crisis for plenty of organisations reeling from significant blows to revenue.

Cricket's calendar was already incredibly congested, and the knock-on effect of so many cancelled and postponed games is that it will likely get even more taxing for players.

Labuschagne, the world's busiest cricketer who played more days of first-class cricket than any other last year, is ready.

"There is going to be a lot of tours that will need to be made up," he said.

"There's going to be a whole heap of cricket in a very short time frame. We'll be making up for missed time, that schedule is just going to be packed.

"It's going to be a bit different to what we're used to. We're going to have to be ready coming out of this break to play heaps and heaps of cricket."

Labuschagne, as you might expect from somebody whose work ethic was what first made a major impression on national coach Justin Langer, is keeping busy.

Cricket has unsurprisingly remained a constant for the cricket nuffie, who first came to fans' attention in 2014 after a video showed him catching corn in a kitchen 'fielding drill' prior to a slick snare as a substitute fielder at the Gabba.

A synthetic mat now runs through Labuschagne's garage and into the backyard, serving as a makeshift pitch, while his tennis forehand is also getting a work out.

The Queensland batsman's screen time has also gone up over the past month, watching plenty of cricket replays, but also church services.

The Bible chapter and verse, from Isaiah, and eagle sticker on Labuschagne's bat underline the role faith has played and continues to play in his development.

The health crisis meant Easter Sunday, when he was interviewed as part of Redlands Gateway Baptist Church's web service, was a little different to the norm.

"All church is now online," he said.

"I'm doing my best to stay involved and stay in touch, with family and the rest of the community.

"Isolation has been tough. It's been tough for everyone hasn't it? I'm quite lucky I have two of my best mates living with me at the moment, I'm very thankful for that.

"The key is to use this time wisely. It's not a good situation. But you can use the time and invest in people and conversations with people, just checking in and making sure they're doing alright."

The unprecedented stoppage has also given the man recently named one of Wisden's Five Cricketers of the Year some time to reflect on a remarkable chapter of his life, in which commentators have run out of superlatives while bowlers have run out of ideas.

"Just to be involved in the Ashes was very special and getting to play at Lord's was a pretty significant moment, something I'll never forget," Labuschagne said, when asked which memory he cherishes the most.