Marnus Labuschagne has added a bit of innovation to his practice as he prepares for Australia’s upcoming tour of Pakistan. This will be Australia’s first tour of Pakistan since 1998 and they will be playing three Tests.

Labuschagne, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, has been practising batting on his home balcony on a rubber mat laden with pieces of taped aluminium sheeting to try to emulate the variable bounce and turn of Pakistan wickets.

The 27-year-old, who bats at No.3, said he had tried something similar before heading to England for a county season in 2019.

“I tried to create a wicket and a ball that nipped around a lot but didn’t bounce, because one of the big factors when you go to England is it nips and swings and it seams but the ball sort of hits the stumps from a shorter length,” he told reporters on Monday.

“So (it’s) a little bit of a similar thing going to Pakistan. I thought, ‘Well, what’s the best way I can recreate spin ... so (that) some spin, some slide and you can’t really predict what it’s doing, so you have to come up with a plan and a method. That was the thought behind it.

“You know I haven’t played much away from home. So I’m really looking forward to the challenge and hopefully to stand up in the different conditions,” he added.

Batsmen from beyond the subcontinent have often been seen adopting innovative methods while preparing to face quality spinners.

The most recent example of that before Labuschagne would be that of New Zealand batter Devon Conway, who last year used kitty litter on practice pitches to hone his skills against the turning ball.