Marnus Labuschagne pens Glamorgan deal ahead of Ashes push

Marnus Labuschagne has become the latest Australian to take up a county deal having signed for Glamorgan for the first half of the English season.

Labuschagne will act as cover for Shaun Marsh although it is not yet certain whether Marsh will be part of the World Cup squad with the Australia selectors needing to make some tough decisions with the availability of David Warner and Steven Smith.

Labuschagne made his Test debut against Pakistan in the UAE and was then recalled for the final match against India in Sydney where he was surprisingly given the No. 3 role. He moved down to No. 4 against Sri Lanka where he made his maiden Test fifty in Brisbane before a double failure in Canberra and he will be sweating on his place in the Ashes squad.

"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," Labuschagne said. "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."

Glamorgan's 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."