"I’ve got no doubt that I’m still the right person for Australia to bat in that middle order" - Labuschagne eager to make most of his second chance
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne feels that he is still the right candidate to bat at No. 4 for Australia in ODIs despite his axing from the World Cup provisional squad recently. The right-handed batter was dropped for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa as well as the World Cup owing to his poor numbers in the format.
Labuschagne made a promising start to his ODI career following his debut in India three years ago. However, since the last year and a half, his numbers have plummeted. He has scored only two fifties across his last 15 innings in the format, which forced the selection committee to make the call.
However, Steve Smith's injury has given Labushagne an opportunity to prove his mettle in the 50-over format. He has been named as the former skipper's replacement for the five-match ODI series against the Proteas.
Admitting that his numbers have not been good enough of late, Labuschagne told Fox Cricket:
"I had to look at my one-day performance, and it wasn’t up to the standard that I uphold. I’ve got no doubt that I’m still the right person for Australia to bat in that middle order, but at the end of the day, you have to show it with performances, and hopefully South Africa can be an opportunity for me to show that."
“It’s still all about the team, it’s not just about my selection. It’s about starting to play really good one-day cricket for Australia, starting to put really good performances together as a team,” he added.
Labuschagne's career-high score and his solitary ODI century came against the Proteas in 2020 at Senwes Park. He had recorded a golden duck in the previous contest and made amends with a sublime ton and will be on the lookout to reignite his ODI career in South Africa.
"I think I’ve had a fair few opportunities to sort of stamp down that authority at No. 4" - Marnus Labuschagne
Out of 28 ODI innings, Labuschagne has batted at No. 4 a total of 21 times, scoring 691 runs at an average of 33.19 and a strike rate of 85.63.
He scored 43 runs across two innings during his last ODI series, which came against India right after the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.
Stating that he has not done enough to nail down the No. 4 spot for his own despite the opportunities, Labuschagne stated:
“I think I’ve had a fair few opportunities to sort of stamp down that authority at No. 4, and I haven’t taken the opportunity. Hopefully in the next few games I can do that. I certainly want to be a bit more proactive than I have been in previous times.”
Australia will play three T20Is against South Africa from August 30 onwards. The ODI leg of the tour is scheduled to commence on September 7.