Glamorgan sign Marnus Labuschagne

Glamorgan Cricket are delighted to announce the signing of Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne as our overseas player for the first half of the 2019 season.

Labuschagne will arrive in Wales ahead of the start of the season as cover for Shaun Marsh and will be available for the whole of the club’s Royal London One-Day Cup campaign, as well as the first part of the Specsavers County Championship season, including the opening fixture against Northamptonshire on Thursday, 11th April.

The Australian is a product of the Queensland youth system and made his first-class debut for the state in 2014 when he scored 83 against South Australia.

The 24-year old has scored four first-class centuries with a career-best of 134 and has taken 28 wickets with his leg-spin. He also averages over 38 in List A cricket with eight half-centuries in just 19 innings.

Labuschagne broke into the Australian Test team last winter and has gone on to play five Test matches, with a top score of 81 against Sri Lanka, and has taken nine wickets at an average of just 27.

“I’ve always wanted to play county cricket and test myself in different conditions and a new environment, so I’m delighted to sign for Glamorgan,” said Labuschagne.

“I understand it was a difficult season last year for the club, but hopefully I can hit the ground running and put in some good performances to get us off to a winning start.”

“I’ve heard great things about the club from a few of the players I already know and I’m really looking forward to teaming up with my new teammates, including Charlie (Hemphrey), who I’ve played with at Queensland over the last few seasons.  It would be wonderful to make a genuine difference to the club both on and off the field.

“I also can’t wait to experience Cardiff and Wales as a place to live. Everyone has told me how wonderful the city is and how friendly and welcoming the people are, so I’m really excited to get there, get started and contribute to the club.”

Director of cricket, Mark Wallace, said: “We’ve made it a priority to bring in overseas cover for Shaun Marsh, and to get a player of Marnus’ quality for the first half of the season is a great boost to the squad.

“He’s a young, talented, driven cricketer who has shown his quality in both domestic and international cricket and is exactly the type of character we want in the dressing room.

“He’s also a multi-dimensional player who can bat at the top of the order, take important wickets with his leg-spin and lead in the field.

“To secure an international calibre overseas player during a World Cup year isn’t easy, so it’s fantastic we’ve been able to secure Marnus’ services.”