2023 ODI World Cup: Australia's Marnus Labuschagne 'retires' bat used in WC final against India

Marnus Labuschagne, the bat he used against India in the World Cup final (Pic: AFP/@marnus3cricket/X)

Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne on Monday retired the bat that he used to score the match-winning half-century in the 2023 ODI World Cup final against rivals India at Ahmedabad in November last year.

Labuschange, one of the backbones of the Australian batting line-up, shared the picture of his bat on social media. The bat looked in really bad shape after very noticeable wear and tear.

The batter took to Instagram and said, 'Think it's finally time to retire the World Cup final bat'.

Notably, during the title clash, Australia restricted India to just 240 runs, despite a fine start by skipper Rohit Sharma (47) and half-centuries by KL Rahul (66) and Virat Kohli (54). Mitchell Starc (3/55) and skipper Pat Cummins (2/34) unleashed heavy damage on Indian batters. Though Australia was off to a shaky start too with the scoreline reading 47/3 at one point, Travis Head (137') and Marnus (58') took the Aussies to their sixth 50-over crown with six wickets in hand.

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Labuschagne's knock came in 110 balls, with four boundaries. He provided perfect stability to Travis' counter-attack with the bat, holding one end steady.

In the tournament, in 11 matches and 10 innings, Labuschagne scored 362 runs at an average of 40.22, with three half-centuries and best score of 71.

Leading up to the tournament, during September, Labuschagne had made a fine comeback to the national side during a series against South Africa, scoring some brilliant knocks to make his way into the 2023 ODI World Cup team as spinner Ashton Agar was ruled out due to injury.

This year, Labuschagne has featured in eight matches, including three ODIs and five Tests, scoring 266 runs at an average of 29.55, with three half-centuries in 11 innings. His best score is 90.

(With agency inputs)