Marnus Labuschagne has been hailed as a game-changer after the young Australian blasted another century for Glamorgan.
Labuschagne struck 106 against Worcestershire on day one of their Specsavers County Championship Division Two game at Sophia Gardens.
The hundred was the 25-year-old’s fourth of the season and added to his four other half centuries, means he has already scored almost 1,000 runs in this campaign.
Labuschagne’s innings took his tally to 938 and underlines his credentials as an outside contender to make the Australian Test side for the Ashes series later this summer.
Here is the moment he went to his fourth first-class century for Glamorgan! #GoGlam 🏏 pic.twitter.com/6rvmsT81Ld
— Glamorgan Cricket 🏏 (@GlamCricket) June 30, 2019
It also put promotion challengers Glamorgan in a strong position as they ended the day on 354 for 6 – a position that would have been healthier had they not lost three wickets in nine balls.
Glamorgan skipper David Lloyd said: “Marnus is incredible. He’s very confident and is seeing the ball well, with the hunger to keep scoring. It’s nice to bat with him because he just whacks it everywhere.
“After being put into bat, it’s pleasing to see where we’ve got to in the game, although we let ourselves down in the last session losing two too many wickets.
“But it shows how far we’ve come since last season when we’re disappointed at getting 350.”
Labuschagne – who was born in South Africa and moved to Australia when he was 10 – has just one more Championship game to play for Glamorgan before their regular overseas batsmen Shaun Marsh is due to return.
But if Marsh is needed for the Australian Test squad, Labuschagne’s stay with the county may be extended.
Labuschagne was well supported by Lloyd, who scored 97.