[Watch] "Working hard on my white ball game " - Marnus Labuschagne sweats it out in nets after ICC World Cup 2023 snub
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne failed to find a place in Australia's 18-man preliminary squad for the upcoming ODI series against South Africa and India, as well as for the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.
With his World Cup hopes shattered, Labuschagne has started working hard to up his white-ball game. The right-handed batter took to his Instagram handle on Friday, August 25, to give fans a glimpse of his latest practice session.
Captioning the post, Labuschagne wrote:
"Working hard on my white ball game 🏏."
Marnus Labuschagne has been one of the top performers for Australia in red-ball cricket. However, he has failed to carry this form into limited-overs cricket. Labuschagne is currently ranked fifth in the ICC Rankings for Test batters.
"We just haven't seen enough of it consistently" - Chief selector George Bailey on Marnus Labuschagne World Cup snub
Explaining the reason behind Marnus Labuschagne's absence from Australia's ODI team, chief selector George Bailey pointed out that the batter has failed to score consistently in white-ball cricket. He also stated that the 29-year-old will have a chance to improve his game by playing matches for Australia 'A' in the near future.
Speaking to the reporters, Bailey said:
"We know Marnus, at his best, is good enough to hold down a spot in the one-day team, we just haven't seen enough of it consistently in the role that we'd like him to do. We've been really clear with Marnus; he's going to be part of some Australia A games at the same time so he can focus on some white-ball cricket."
Marnus Labuschagne's most recent ODI appearance came during the side's three-match away-from-home series against India earlier this year in March. However, he failed to make a significant impact, finishing with just 43 runs from two innings.
The Australian team will next be seen in action in a three-match T20I series against South Africa, which begins on August 30 in Durban. The two sides will then also compete in a five-match ODI series.
Pat Cummins and Co. will then play a three-match ODI series against India in September ahead of the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.