PERTH: With a "bit of luck" playing a role in Marnus Labuschagne achieving a rare feat, the Australia batter has become just the eighth player to score a century and a double century in the same Test match.
Australia declared their second innings of the first Test against West Indies at the stroke of lunch on day four at 182/2, setting the visitors 498 to win. But there was time enough for Labuschagne to complete his century and remain 104 not out.
He had scored 204 in Australia's first innings and thus became only the third Australian batter to hit a hundred and a double hundred in the same Test. The other two Australians in the list are Doug Walters and Greg Chappell.
"It's always nice, it's something I've never done in Test cricket (double century and century in the same match), very proud," said Labuschagne.
The remaining five greats in that elite list are West Indies batters Brian Lara and Lawrence Rowe, former India opener Sunil Gavaskar, England's Graham Gooch and Sri Lanka's wicketkeeper-batsman Kumar Sangakkara.
During his knock on Saturday, Labuschagne was dismissed off a no-ball when batting on 19. An Alzarri Joseph bouncer took an edge off Labuschagne's bat and ricocheted off his helmet into the hands of gully fielder.
"Obviously a bit of luck today with that bouncer, he (Joseph) was bowling fast there and it got away," the prolific Australian batter said.
(With agency inputs)
