Former Australia coach Justin Langer has strongly urged the team to retain Marnus Labuschagne at the top of the order, warning that dropping him could jeopardize the development of the next generation of Australian cricketers.
Labuschagne’s spot has come under intense scrutiny following Australia’s recent loss in the World Test Championship final, where he was promoted to open the batting against South Africa. His scores of 17 and 22 extended his nearly two-year century drought, and his batting average during the Test Championship cycle finished at just 27.82.
While current coach Andrew McDonald continues to emphasize Labuschagne’s importance to the team’s future, he has also questioned at what point the team should stop selecting the right-hander if he continues to struggle.
Langer, who handed Labuschagne his Test debut in 2018 and watched him rise to the top of the world batting rankings by 2021, stressed the importance of sticking with him. “Marnus is a 50-Test player. He’s been the best player in the world. He still averages 46.19,” Langer said.
He highlighted the transitional phase the Australian top order is going through, with Usman Khawaja aged 38 and Steve Smith in his mid-30s. “All players go through these periods. If you’re not scoring runs, you’re under the spotlight. But with Warner, Khawaja, and Smith nearing the end of their careers, the gap in the top order is huge if Marnus isn’t in form,” Langer explained.
He emphasized that Labuschagne remains a crucial link in the batting chain and that the team’s focus should be on helping him find consistency. “If I was the Australian team, I’d be focusing and I believe they are on getting Marnus to come good, however that looks.”
Looking ahead, Labuschagne is expected to move back to number three in Australia’s upcoming Tests against the West Indies, with Sam Constas potentially opening and Steve Smith’s participation still uncertain.
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