On a minefield of a surface at the Optus Stadium in Perth on November 22 (Friday), Marnus Labuschagne hoped to dig in, soak all the pressure up and then cash in after the ball got older.

He collected just a solitary run off his first 40 balls but never panicked, confident that he would eventually be able to catch up once things eased out.

However, the right-hander’s plan went all awry as the cash-in never came, with him eventually departing for 2 off 52 balls. Labuschagne missed a sharp one that seamed back in from Mohammed Siraj as Australia got reduced to 47/6 at the end of the 21st over. 

By adding just 2 runs off 52 balls, the 30-year-old ended up creating a rather unwanted record. He ended up playing the slowest ever knock by an Australian in Tests, with his strike rate reading 3.85. 

The record had previously been held by Steve O’Keefe, who registered a SR of 4.08 against Sri Lanka in Pallekele in 2016 while trying to save the Test match on the final day. O’Keefe, on that occasion, had scored 4 off 98 balls.

Lowest SR for an Aussie batter in a Test inns (min 50 balls)

3.84 – Marnus Labuschagne vs India in Perth, 2024

4.08 – Steve O’Keefe vs Sri Lanka in Pallekele, 2016

5.66 – Murray Bennett vs West Indies in Melbourne, 1984

Labuschagne would not have lasted as long as he did had Virat Kohli held on to a straightforward chance early on. On just the third ball he faced, Labuschagne nicked one off Jasprit Bumrah to second slip but Kohli spilled an easy chance that gave the Queenslander a reprieve. 

However, the 30-year-old was not able to make the most of it, adding just two runs despite facing 52 balls. 

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