Australia chief selector George Bailey isn’t too worried that Marnus Labuschagne hasn’t scored many runs in Test matches in recent years. Labuschagne has been struggling for some time now, and recently, in a two-Test series against Bangladesh, things went from bad to worse for him. Despite that, he has been retained in the three-Test squad against hosts South Africa.
Bailey said that despite the problem at No.3, the team has won more often than not, and that’s key. “I think our batting group in its entirety, not just Marn, probably hasn’t been functioning as successfully as we would like. But also not shying away from the fact that we’ve continued to win a lot of Test matches over that period, and ultimately that’s the key, isn’t it?
“We’re not shying away from the fact that we’d like some more runs from Marn, that’s clear, but we’re also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad.”
Labuschagne, however, is not part of the three-ODI series later this month. Bailey, a former Australian international player, believes the batter’s omission from the 50-overs series might help him find his edge in red-ball cricket.
“Clearly, there’s potentially a simplification (of his preparation), or an ability to focus purely on red-ball cricket for him, in the fact that he won’t be in the one-day series leading up to it, so that that may be a benefit,” he said.
Labuschagne might have made it to the squad, but there is no guarantee he will feature in the first Test or thereafter. Cooper Connolly is a major contender, admits Bailey.
“(Connolly has been) primarily picked in this squad as a batsman, but that secondary skillset (bowling) may come into consideration depending on what sort of conditions we do face in South Africa. I think he’s got a game that’s well suited to the middle order, but no doubt, as he matures and continues to grow his game, I think there’s a capacity there where he could bat further up the order.
“Yeah, ultimately, I think he will be able to. Whether that’s now, whether that’s in the future (remains to be seen). (He is) still so young in his career, but I think his ability to bat in a range of positions will continue to grow as he gets more and more experience,” Bailey said.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Schedule:
First Test: October 9-13, Kingsmead Stadium, Durban
Second Test: October 18-22, St George’s Park, Gqeberha
Third Test: October 27-31, Newlands, Cape Town
