“So all those things really helped. And then, obviously, to be able to then come out after lunch and after the break and be able to put the pressure on.

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“Obviously, they tried to amend their shorter length and bowl a bit fuller, which created a few more scoring options for us.”

Labuschagne and Smith are the hyperactive twins, always twitching while at the crease and with ideas. They bounce off each other and Labuschagne believes that helps their batting.

“I think we use each other really well,” he said. Whether it’s at training or in the middle, we’re just bouncing boards.

“Like today there were a few things where he’s like, ‘Oh, how’s it looking, what do you like?’ And for me, it’s just positive reinforcement. ‘Your bat path is looking good’. Or, you know, vice versa, if he’s seeing that I’m getting outside of my box, he’ll suddenly say, ‘just be patient’ or ‘watch the ball’.

“I think it’s like that in any partnership, but with me and Steve there’s probably a little bit more technical stuff as well. Just because we talk a lot about batting and it’s been well documented about his grip and how it feels and stuff like that.”

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