Something to crow about: Doco sheds light on 'lucky' Marnus

As surprising as Marnus Labuschagne's revelation of his preference for toasted sandwiches to be immediately chilled, the most illuminating insight into the world’s No.1 Test batter in a new documentary is his admission that a small sticker on his bat may be responsible for some of his unforeseen success.

The opening episode of ‘The Test’ season two, a four-part docuseries released on Amazon Prime Video this Friday, examines the intersection between Labuschagne's Christian faith and the good fortune he has enjoyed through the opening years of his international career.

The right-hander’s many oddities were a feature of the documentary’s first season (released in 2020), which charted the Australian men’s team’s challenge of winning back the respect of cricket fans in the aftermath of the 2018 sandpaper scandal.

But a fresh Labuschagne quirk is revealed in the latest instalment of the Cricket Australia-commissioned doco, this one charting the side’s fortunes in the post Justin Langer-era through the 2021-22 home Ashes series and subsequent tours of Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

The first episode sees Labuschagne proudly demonstrating a well-practiced routine that sees him swiftly remove a steaming hot ham-and-cheese sandwich and put it straight into a refrigerator, to be enjoyed once it has cooled after his net session.

"Not many people do this, but I like a toastie that's actually cold," he tells the camera from a kitchen in the Gabba changerooms, adding that he likes the cheese to "harden up" in the fridge.

While the impact of Labsuchagne's unusual snacking rituals on his run scoring are unclear, his teammates are convinced there is another factor in his historically significant ability to maintain a batting average of nearly 60.

And even Labuschagne himself is willing to accept there may be divine power in the sticker of a black eagle affixed to the back of his willow.

"One of the biggest things in sport is your mind, and once your mind goes down a path, you can't stop it, it just goes down that path," Labuschagne says in the documentary.

"I don't think stickers matter – until you start thinking it matters."

The eagle is a reminder for Labuschagne of a favourite bible passage, Isaiah 40:31: "For those who hope in the Lord, He shall renew their strength. They shall soar on wings like eagles; they shall run and not grow weary, they shall walk and not be faint."

Even more than cricket, Christianity is a major part of who Labuschagne is. He met his wife, Rebekah, at church and his mother writes bible verses on the soles of his cricket shoes.

"Everyone knows that cricket's a major part of my life but the value of me as a person isn't in cricket, it's in my faith," he says.

Having previously admitted it was a "challenging" aspect of his identity to explain to Queensland teammates when he started his domestic career, Labuschagne's beliefs now raise few eyebrows. Joe Burns even led a team prayer before his BBL debut with the Brisbane Heat.

So it is in good humour that his fellow Australia players suggest the "crow" (which Usman Khawaja, a devout Muslim whose faith is also explored in the series, and Warner have cheekily referred to the eagle as) on Labsuchagne's bat might be the reason behind what they see as unprecedented good fortune at the crease.  

"Marnus and how lucky he is – it's remarkable," Nathan Lyon says.

Fly-on-the-wall footage shows the spinner nervously padded up as a nightwatchman, waiting to bat as Labuschagne prospered from one of three dropped catches off his bat during last summer's Adelaide Ashes Test.

His 103 in that match against England marked the second time he's earnt that many lives in a single innings, while he got a further reprieve during that knock when a regulation caught-behind dismissal was overturned because the bowler, Ollie Robinson, had overstepped.

As David Warner references in an interview during the first episode ("I did see a stat – Marnus is the luckiest cricketer in the world," he says) some have even suggested there is quantitative evidence of Labuschagne's recurring blessings.

Not long after his Adelaide ton, analysts at CricViz declared Labuschagne the luckiest batter in world cricket given, according to data collected over the last decade-and-a-half, no other player has had a higher proportion of catches dropped off their blade.

At the time, a whopping 42 per cent of the chances he had offered were put down, almost more than twice the next most fortunate Test batter.

More recently, Fox Cricket submitted that Labuschagne had seven "expected dismissals" during his eight-hour double century against West Indies in Perth where a succession of chances narrowly eluded fielders, close lbw reviews went his way and play-and-misses went unedged.

Labuschagne could point out that a sample size of 33 Tests and 56 innings is quite enough for any through-line of good fortune to surely have regressed to the mean by now.

And if that proves unconvincing, he could simply suggest following Lyon's vow: "I'm going to get that bird tattooed on my head".

'The Test' Season Two launces in Australia and around the world on Prime Video this Friday, January 13.