Australian batsman Marnus Labuschagne feels he is still the right candidate to bat at No.4 for Australia in ODIs despite being dropped from the provisional World Cup team recently. The right-handed batsman was ruled out of the upcoming ODI series against South Africa as well as the World Cup due to his poor performance in the format.
After making his debut in India three years ago, Labushen made a great start to his ODI career. However, their numbers have declined since the last year and a half. He has scored only two fifties in his last 15 innings in this format, which forced the selection committee to take this decision.
However, Steve Smith’s injury has given Labuschagne a chance to prove his mettle in the 50-over format. He has been named as the former captain’s replacement for the five-match ODI series against the Proteas. Admitting that his figures haven’t been good in the recent past, Marnus 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.”
He Added:
“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,”
Marnus Labushen’s career-highest score and his only ODI century came against the Proteas at Senwes Park in 2020. He registered a golden duck in the previous competition and made up for it with a fine century and will look to revive his ODI career in South Africa.
“I Think I Had Quite A Few Chances To Finish That Right 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 in two innings during his last ODI series, which came against India earlier this year just after the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Stating that he hasn’t done enough to earn the No.4 spot for himself despite the opportunities.
Marnus Labuschagne said:
“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 T20 matches against South Africa from 30 August. The ODI leg of the tour is scheduled to begin on 7 September.
