Linden: The habit ‘petulant’ Smith and Labuschagne need to quit after being dismissed

Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne are like two peas in a pod: they’re quirky at the crease, iconic in their leaves, and score mountain of runs. But there’s one habit they share which both need to ditch, JULIAN LINDEN writes.

Of all the habits that Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith share, the one they need to ditch is their delayed departures from the crease whenever they get out.

No batsman ever likes being dismissed but Smith and Labuschagne’s trait for standing around and shaking their heads in disbelief is starting to look petulant and unbefitting for batters of their class.

They haven’t breached any of the laws around dissent but their churlish stays at the crease are unnecessary and hint at bigger problems with their games right now.

Smith had every right to feel embarrassed after he departed for 38, falling for Pakistan’s trap when he chipped the ball to Babar Azam.

Leaning back on his bat and looking at the pitch just made him look silly and he’s better than that.

Steve Smith walks off the field after his dismissal

Labuschagne’s awkward reaction to being bowled for 60 by spinner Agha Salman was even more unseemly.

It was a very good ball from Salman but the glum expression on Labuschagne’s face was almost as comical as the clueless Mike Gatting when Shane Warne bamboozled him in 1993.

If either batter wants a quick reminder on how to cope with disappointment, they should take a peak at the grainy black and white footage of Don Bradman when he was bowled for a duck in his last innings against England in 1948.

The Don had more reason than either of the current players to curse his rotten luck after missing out on his chance of a career average of 100, but he didn’t pause for a second before tucking his bat straight under his arm and walking straight off.

It was the same with Greg Chappell whenever he got out. Regardless if he had made a century or a duck, Chappell treated every dismissal the same - by instantly spinning on his heels and heading back to the dressing room.

Smith and Labuschagne should take note because after years of dancing with the Gods, they may quickly have to readjust to life as mere mortals.

Marnus Labuschagne was clean bowled by Pakistan’s Salman Ali Agha

Neither batter is going terrible - Smith is averaging 38 and Labuschagne 29 in the current series against Pakistan - but that’s well below their very best, and it may be permanent, not temporary.

All great players struggle at some stage, often late in their careers, so there’s no shame or surprise in anything that’s happening to them right now.

Even the great Ricky Ponting, whose average hovered around 59 at its peak, struggled at the end, finishing with an average of 51. There’s a lesson there for everyone who has followed him in the baggy green.

The challenge for Smith, whose lifetime average currently sits at 58, is whether he can cope with that battle for the remaining years of his career - regardless of whether he remains in the middle order or moves to opener.

His scores in the last 12 months have been good without being spectacular. In 2023, he averaged 42, and made three hundreds, but it’s not the numbers that are the telltale sign he’s not as formidable as he once was.

What is also clear is that opposition teams no longer fear him the way they once did, partly because they have figured him out.

Now aged 34, Smith no longer scores as quickly as he once did and has struggled to convert his starts into big scores, making 41, 17, 71, 54, 31, 45, 26, 50 and 38 in his last nine knocks.

Labuschagne, who has openly mirrored himself on Smith, is suffering the same problems.

He averaged 34 in 2023, below his career average of 51, and turns 30 in the middle of this year.

While following Smith’s obsession with cricket elevated Labuschagne to potential superstardom, it is also bringing both men back to the pack.

Steve Smith as he hits one into the covers on Day 3 at the SCG.

The downside to always chasing perfection is finding time to switch off.

Smith is known to be a restless sleeper who practices his batting at night time in his hotel room.

Labuschagne also thinks about cricket constantly and was left mentally and emotionally exhausted after last year’s ODI World Cup in India.

While he played a starring role in the final, the lingering doubts about whether he would retain his place in the side took its toll.

This was always going to be a testing Summer for both men and so it is proving, though it’s not all doom and gloom.

If anything, it makes them more valuable.

With David Warner retiring, Australian cricket needs Smith and Labuschagne more than ever to be the links through to the next generation.

With India and England heading here in the next two seasons, their true value to the team won’t be what they have done before but what they do from now on.

Originally published as Linden: The habit ‘petulant’ Smith and Labuschagne need to quit after being dismissed