MELBOURNE :Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne said a return to basics has fuelled his red-hot form in the buildup to the Ashes after losing confidence during a failed pursuit of perfection.

Labuschagne was dropped for Australia's tour of West Indies but has shrugged off the setback with four centuries in five matches for his home state Queensland.

The 31-year-old said he had been battling some "mental" demons over the last couple of years, admitting he was tinkering with his technique too much.

"There's a few technical things that I've ironed out of my game and had a bit of time to work on," he told Australian broadcaster Fox Sports.

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