Aussie cricket great Michael Clarke has joined the chorus of former players backing Marnus Labuschagne to remain in his position in the starting XI, with the Queenslander facing pressure to be dropped. Labuschagne has found runs hard to come by across the last few years and this summer only made things worse. He has averaged 25.36 with the bat since the start of the India series having carried over his poor form to Sri Lanka.
Labuschagne's 2023/24 season was not much better having struggled with an average of just 27.08. There is plenty of pressure on selectors to make the call and drop Labuschagne with the No.3 having scored just one century in his last 50 innings. He averages just 22.22 across his last 20 innings with a strike rate of 44.89.
His struggles are not just against the red-ball. Labuschagne was out for 15 against Sri Lanka in the first ODI of the series and averaged 24.66 in 2024 in the 50-over format. Despite his startling drop in form, teammates and former players are backing him to come around in the ICC Test Championship final. Steve Smith was quick to back Labuschagne after the Sri Lanka series and claimed runs are just around the corner.
ADVERTISEMENT
Former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin backed Labuschagne to remain in the starting team comes the Ashes at the end of the year. Aussie cricket great Adam Gilchrist even made the radical call to open with the Queenslander in the final.
Former Australian T20 captain Aaron Finch took a different take on ESPN's 'Around the Wicket' program and felt Labuschagne needed to make way for an in-form player. But former captain Clarke echoed Gilchrist and Haddin's sentiment and claimed the batter needs to remain in the team for the final against South Africa.
"He is due for a big one," Clarke said on the show. "The Test Championship could be the time, could be the place. The numbers don't read well. But they rarely do they when you are out of form. I hope they pick him for the Test Championship. Completely different conditions, against a different team. He has played a lot of County cricket.
"Remember, he bats in the hardest place. I think No.3 is the hardest place in Test cricket. To me, I reckon the Test Championship could be his last opportunity. I think going to the West Indies, I would like to think that's an opportunity to give a young player a go, if Marnus makes no runs in the Test Championship."
Cameron Green and Josh Inglis stating their case
Clarke suggested the pressure is mounting on Labuschagne for the first time in a while due to the players waiting in the wings. Cameron Green enjoyed a strong 2023/24 season, before injuring his lower back and missing the series against India and Sri Lanka.
ADVERTISEMENT
Green should be fit in time for the Test Championship, but would only be selected as a specialist batter. He will also be looking to prove his form with opportunities at the end of the Sheffield Shield season and potentially a chance to play County cricket.
Inglis also made a statement in Sri Lanka having recorded a century on his debut. Nathan McSweeney was used during the India series, but was dropped after failing as an opener. Although he still remains in contention to bat in his preferred No.3 position having been taken on the tour of Sri Lanka for experience.
Scott Boland fighting to play Test final
While Clarke believes Labuchagne should remain in the team, he feels Scott Boland will miss out. Boland was brilliant at the MCG and SCG during the India series in the absence of Josh Hazlewood due to injury. However, Boland's record in England shows he has struggled in the past in foreign conditions. Finch selected Boland over Hazlewood in his preferred side, but Clarke feels the best XI does not include the Victorian.
Steve Smith backs Marnus Labuschagne to find form
Labuchagne has found plenty of support and one if his biggest backers is Smith. One of Australia's greatest ever run scorers was recently struggling himself to find his own feet in Test cricket. Although Smith found form at the backend of the Sri Lanka series, before blasting another two centuries in Sri Lanka.
ADVERTISEMENT
And the stand-in captain, with Pat Cummins remaining back in Sydney, backed his teammate to find runs soon. “I think Marn is similar to me in a way, I think he’s actually batting quite nicely,” Smith said. “I have said this a lot of times about myself, there’s a difference between being out of form and out of runs. We’ve seen Marnus do it, we know he can do it, I don’t think he’s out of form, personally.
“I have watched him train, I have watched him play, a lot of the things he’s done are there. A little bit of luck here and there and things can turn around pretty quickly, we know what he’s capable of. He knows he’d love to score more runs, we’d love him to score more runs, in my opinion it’s just around the corner.”
