Run machine Marnus Labuschagne should be right in Aussie captaincy discussions when Tim Paine retires
All the talk is either Steve Smith, Travis Head or Pat Cummins taking over when Tim Paine calls it a day. But could a player quickly morphing into one of the game’s most dominant force his way into the equation?
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Batting machine Marnus Labuschagne has conquered every on-field question cricket can throw at him but there are two from beyond the boundary which remain unanswered.
Is he a future Australian captain and, if so, at what point will someone promote him into a leadership to see what he’s got?
Labuschagne will emerged from a five month lay-off to head to England with the Aussie 50-over squad on Sunday as the first Australian sporting team to head overseas in the COVID era.
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The reward of his dam-busting year for Australia was his first Cricket Australian contract but with the new season emerging there have been no moves from Queensland – or anyone - to groom him for a leadership role.
The national selectors have been whispering to all states that 35-year-old Test captain Tim Paine cannot go on forever and urged them to put their best leaders forwards so Australia can have options when Paine retires.
But the response has been deathly quiet across the nation.
Labuschagne, 26, may be a late maturer whose boyish enthusiasm might have seen him portrayed as a wide-eyed newcomer rather than a leader, but with an extraordinary Test batting average of 63 and a 50-over average of 50 he is quickly morphing into one of the game’s most dominant players.
Labuschagne would relish a leadership role but said he had “not specifically’’ been chasing one.
“For me it is about making sure the bat and me as a person do the talking not necessarily looking for those active things,’’ Labuschagne said in Brisbane.
“Obviously I love being a leader but I don’t think you need a title. For me it is about being who I am.’’
Steve Smith, Travis Head and Pat Cummins are in the mix to be the Test captain after Paine but it is very much an open field.
Cricket junkie Labuschagne has been getting his playing fix taking on mates in garage cricket and has even been to Bunnings seeking different types of mats which make the ball do more.
He has no reservations about entering COVID challenged England where West Indies and Pakistan have played Tests in the last month. Australia will stay at hotels on the ground in Southampton and Manchester for three T20s and three 50-over games.
“I have been watching Test cricket for the past four weeks and it looks like their bubble looks very tight,” he said.
“It’s been five months and that is the longest I have been without playing for a while. I love it and I want to play the game. I have no doubt Cricket Australia would not send us over if it was not safe. The people behind the scenes have put in a massive effort for this tour and it is a big effort from them, and we are very thankful we can continue the game of cricket.’’
Aussie battle to groom captain-in-waiting Cummins
Pat Cummins is now just one step away from becoming the first fast bowler in 64 years to captain Australia, but selectors are now facing a headache over how to get him on the job experience.
After being named as the sole vice-captain for Australia’s limited overs tour of England, with Alex Carey removed, Cummins will lead his country into battle in the event that skipper Aaron Finch is rested, injured or sick.
Selectors are yet to make a decision over their leadership model for the Test summer, but it’s entirely possible Cummins may also become Tim Paine’s only deputy in that format as well, with Travis Head currently serving as the other VC.
It’s understood Cummins is open to the possibility of being considered as a fill-in, or future captain, but isn’t actively coveting the role – happy he has enough responsibility on his plate as the team’s spearhead fast bowler.
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke has been a huge campaigner for Cummins as skipper, but the conundrum facing the big quick and selectors is how to get him trained in the job before a big decision has to be made in the future.
NSW have shown a reluctance to blood Cummins as a captain, but more to the point, Cummins is scarcely ever available at state level due to his international commitments in all formats.
Cummins is unlikely to play a single game for NSW before this summer’s international season, although big scheduling decisions are yet to be made.
Finch said on Tuesday that Cummins’ ascension to sole vice-captain was a deserved accolade for Australian cricket’s most marketable commodity.
“It’s great for Pat, he’s been a great leader around the squad for a number of years now and his performances on the field goes without saying,” said Finch.
“The great thing Patty brings is a real calmness to the squad and he’s someone who over the years has been able to separate the off-field stuff with his on-field performance and manages himself really well.
“From that point of view he brings a different perspective being a bowler as well, with the traditional captains and vice-captains being batsmen. So to have that real close connection to the bowlers is really important as well.
“I’ve worked with him over the last little while as one of the vice-captains, and that’s taking nothing away from Alex - he did a fantastic job - we just feel that going back to one vice-captain is probably the way forward and simplifies things out in the field when you have one direct line to a vice-captain rather than going to a few different others.”
Australia are taking a massive 21-man squad to England for three one-dayers and three T20s, to cover all bases in the COVID-19 era when a player can be isolated at the onset of a mere sniffle.
But Finch said no decisions have been made about whether to give everyone in the squad a run, or only hand out caps on a needs basis.
Finch warned that the management of mental health shapes as cricket’s biggest issue in the COVID-19 era where players could spend months on end in hubs.
“That’s something that’s going to be something to monitor heavily. I know from an Australian point of view there’s a lot of work behind the scenes,” said Finch.
“It could be a few months that people are in these bio bubbles and being stuck in a hotel room by yourself. That can be really tough
“I think Michael Lloyd (sports psych) from Cricket Australia has been talking to all players individually to make sure they’ve got their own individual plans and understand where to turn and what to do when you feel as though things aren’t going right. Because I definitely feel it’s going to be a real issue and a real factor over the next couple of years in particular.”
Originally published as Run machine Marnus Labuschagne should be right in Aussie captaincy discussions when Tim Paine retires