AHMEDABAD: Even as Travis Head's scintillating hundred was the cornerstone of Australia's sixth ODI World Cup triumph on Sunday night, the heart-warming story of Marnus Labuschagne, who played an equally vital role in the six-wicket win in the final against hosts India at the Narendra Modi Stadium, stroking a patient 58 not out in a match-winning 192-run partnership for Australia for the fourth wicket, which took the World Champions to the title after they had been reduced to 47 for three, is the stuff fairytales are made of.
Talking to the reporters with a World Cup winners' medal hanging around his neck, the 29-year-old stunned everyone when he revealed that he wasn't sure if he would play in the summit clash until 10pm the previous day. The irony of Labuschagne being Australia's improbable World Cup hero doesn't end there. It starts with the fact that he wasn't initially thought to be good enough to play in the tournament in the first place.
