Marnus Labuschagne's unconventional personality, and why it makes him so good at cricket

Queensland cricketer James Bazley remembers «super clearly» the first time he met Marnus Labuschagne.

«I played against him — I was from the Sunny Coast, Marnus was in Brisbane — we played at a regional carnival and Marnus was this really good batsman, but really loud in the field. 

»He had these long skins on, he had the Zinc all over his nose, food hanging down his shirt.

«You just couldn't forget him, like 'who's this guy?' and had a bit of a chat after the game and, just from there, never forgot about him,» Bazley explains.

The two played against each other through the junior ranks, eventually representing Queensland together at underage level and becoming good mates.

Bazley knows as well as anyone the driving forces behind the world's number-one batsman — a milestone he reached, according to ICC rankings, during the recent Ashes series. 

Labuschagne's next challenge will be to anchor Australia's batting on what promises to be a challenging three-Test tour of Pakistan, starting today in Rawalpindi — which he will no doubt approach in his own unique way.

Labuschagne is an unusual cat. You only have to watch how he bats and fields, or how his teammates interact with him, to realise he's cut from a different cloth to most cricketers.  

He's got quirky mannerisms. He's twitchy. He never stops talking. He's unnervingly positive in his words and actions. He goes viral on TikTok. Some commentators even find him "annoying".

Labuschagne says he's just being himself.

«I'm very enthusiastic about the game and also in life. I'm an optimist,» he told the ABC

«I always think the best of people and also the best of any situation. But, look, I don't think my personality changes much from being on-field to being off the field. I try and be, you