Ricky Ponting explains why Marnus Labuschagne was standing on a bat handle

Marnus Labuschagne had a dream run in Australia’s opening Test against Pakistan at the Gabba in Brisbane. The right-hander had a decent run in the Ashes after racking up a quite a few half-centuries, coming in as a concussion substitute of Steve Smith. The right-handed batsman has now managed to show his class in the ongoing Test series versus Azhar Ali and Co as well.

In the hosts’ first innings, he scored 185 runs off 279 balls with the help of 20 glorious boundaries. He came to bat at number three after David Warner and Joe Burns’ stand off 222 runs for the opening wicket. It didn’t spring much of a surprise that he was adjudged as the Player of the Match. Tim Paine’s Australia comfortably won the encounter by an innings and five runs.

In the meantime, a video is doing the rounds on social media where Labuschagne was seen, standing on a bat handle. He put one of the handles of the newer bats on the boundary ropes and stood on it to flex the bat. Throwing light on the same, Ricky Ponting shared his opinions from the commentary box. The former skipper said that the handle of a brand-new bat doesn’t have much flexibility.

Therefore, it’s not quite effective for a batter. It’s because all the rubber, glue, and wood used in the making of handles make it stiff. Hence, in order to bring some flexibility, Labuschagne was standing on it. It also helps the batters to get more whip from the bat and more power into their shots.

Here is the video

That is Marnus Labuschagne standing on his bat.

Ricky Ponting explains why he's doing it #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/eLpVmOOXAi

— #7Cricket (@7Cricket) November 23, 2019

All too easy for the Aussies

The opening game was a one-sided affair. Pakistan started their first innings on a positive note, but could only manage 240 runs. Australia came out firing on all cylinders and amassed 580 runs in their first innings. Warner scored 154 and along with Labuschagne, he smothered the visitors’ bowling.

Joe Burns and Matthew Wade also notched impressive half-centuries. In their second innings, Pakistan showed resilience courtesy Babar Azam’s Test century, but it wasn’t enough. Mohammad Rizwan was set to score a ton as well, however, fell prey to fast bowler Josh Hazlewood.