"They don't necessarily complement each other" - Mark Taylor calls for Australia to split up Steve Smith-Marnus Labuschagne pair
Former Australian captain Mark Taylor insisted that the side split up the Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne pair in the batting order. The comments came ahead of the crucial clash against Afghanistan in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Smith and Labuachagne have struggled through the 2023 World Cup, with strike rates of 86.13 and 79.30 in seven games, respectively. Yet, the Aussies have won five straight games following crushing losses in their opening two encounters.
With another victory ensuring semi-final qualification, the five-time world champions are currently third on the table with 10 points in seven games.
Speaking to the World Wide of Sports, Taylor suggested that the Aussies could have wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis batting between Smith and Labuschagne.
"I think Labuschagne and Smith, they're both good mates, but very similar players. They don't necessarily complement each other when they're out there batting because they are similar players. I just wonder if there's not an idea that if we're going well enough and Smith is in at four, we put Inglis in at five as someone to get on with the game a bit more, to be a bit more proactive and let Smith do what he does, which is knock the ball around," said Taylor.
Australia are looking to triumph for the fifth time in the last seven ODI World Cups, dating back to 1999.
They defeated arch-rivals England by 33 runs in their previous outing to eliminate them from semi-final contention.
"It makes it easier for oppositions to set fields" - Mark Taylor
Mark Taylor further stated that the Steve Smith-Marnus Labuschagne partnership makes it easier for the opposing captains to set fields.
While Labuschagne played a crucial knock of 71 in Australia's win against England, Smith has struggled throughout the tournament with a lone half-century against the Netherlands.
The 34-year-old scored 205 runs at an average of less than 30 in his seven outings during the World Cup.
On splitting up the Smith-Labuschagne pairing in the middle order, Taylor said:
"That might be something the selectors think about because when Labuschange and Smith bat together they almost play the same way and I think it makes it easier for oppositions to set fields when they know the batting is going to be pretty consistent."
Despite Smith's struggles, Taylor reaffirmed that the right-handed batter is an automatic choice in Australia's playing XI.
Meanwhile, Inglis hasn't set the house on fire during this World Cup, scoring 131 runs at a dismal average of less than 22. However, he boasts an impressive strike rate of 111 that could come in handy if sandwiched between Smith and Labuschagne.
Following the Afghanistan clash, Australia will complete their round-robin stage with a game against Bangladesh at Pune on Saturday, November 11.