By Andrew Slevison
Marnus Labuschagne must be dropped by Australia for the second Test, according to SEN’s Gerard Whateley.
Labuschagne was out LBW for just three in the second innings of the first Test against India in Perth, opting to leave a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah which caught him on the pad.
It was yet another failure for the Aussie No.3 who has struggled after his fighting Ashes century against England in July 2023, making just 352 runs from 18 innings at an average of 22 since.
Veteran cricket journalist Peter Lalor could not believe Labuschagne offered no shot considering the scenario of the Test which now has the Australian team 522 runs behind at 3/12 in their second dig.
It led to Whateley’s declaration that he simply must be omitted for Adelaide.
“Inexplicable cricket from Marnus Labuschagne in that situation,” Lalor said on SEN Cricket.
“How do you not use your bat when you’ve seen that this ball is skidding through?”
Whateley said: “It’s a scrambled mind, it’s a lost technique.
“You cannot go out there without the intention to use your bat. It’s so symbolic of where he finds himself in his game.
“He’s going to have to be relieved of his place in the team.”
Lalor added: “Without a doubt, I don’t know how you can pick him for the next Test.”
Former Aussie quick Damien Fleming was also struggling to understand why Labuschagne would not play a shot at that particular delivery from Bumrah.
“You can handle paying a shot to a good ball and getting an outside edge,” he said.
“That type of dismissal is just not good enough from your number three in a tough battle.
“It was a good length, it was just outside off stump, it didn’t do anything extreme.”
See the Labuschagne dismissal below:
Labuschagne made just two runs in the first innings. His last 10 Test innings reads: 10, 1 not out, 3, 5, 1, 2, 90, 6, 2 and 3,
Australia will resume Day 4 of the first Test in a hopeless position with Usman Khawaja three not out and Steve Smith to join him at the crease from 1:20pm AEDT.
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Crafted by Project Diamond