Marnus Labuschagne firming to open in World Test Championship Final
Marnus Labuschagne looks increasingly likely to open for Australia in the World Test Championship Final and has received a glowing endorsement from would-be partner Usman Khawaja.
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Marnus Labuschagne looks increasingly likely to open for Australia in the World Test Championship Final and has received a glowing endorsement from would-be partner Usman Khawaja.
Under-pressure star Labuschagne loaded up with an intensive hit-out facing a brand new ball in a training session on Saturday, a day after wowing Khawaja with his skill navigating Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland when they were charging in with a fresh red rock.
“Looking at the nets yesterday I think he was batting with Uzzy and Uzzy came up to me afterwards and said, ‘I think that’s the best I’ve ever seen Marnus bat,’” recounted batting doyen Steve Smith.
“And that’s a big call. Usman has seen a lot of him batting. Marnus was switched on, Uzzy was adamant, he was like, ‘geez that was good. That was impressive.’
“(Marnus) seems in a nice place. I was speaking to him last night afterwards and I said that to him.
“I said, ‘Uz said you batted really well and he’s like, ‘geez, I was on. I was in a really good spot.’
“Obviously we’ve got plenty of options. Marn obviously adds that experience and he’s a terrific fielder and he can give us some overs I suppose at any point too. He’s played a lot of cricket now and perhaps he hasn’t had the best little period but we all go through that.”
It is firming strongly that Labuschagne will open and Cameron Green will slot back in at No.3.
But Smith also lavished Sam Konstas’ performances in the nets in London this week.
“He’s looked really good. I was batting with him the other day and facing Starcy and Boland with brand new balls on a wicket that actually had quite a lot of pace and bounce in it. The first ball he just lent into a cover drive and I was like, ‘oh wow, that went good,’” Smith said.
“And then he looked just like he had a lot of time. He looked in a really nice place.
“He’s a good kid. He looks like he learns really quickly and I think he’s got a bright future ahead of him.”
Konstas may be forced to wait until the upcoming Test tour of the West Indies to earn a recall to the team and said he was just trying to put himself in the best position possible with selectors yet to make a final decision for the WTC decider against South Africa at Lord’s.
The 19-year-old insists some technical tweaks he has made has him batting the best he has in his young career just days out from the Final.
“I haven’t heard anything yet,” Konstas said on Saturday about his chances.
“Hopefully, see what happens. For me I’m just training hard and trying to tick all the boxes and if I do get an opportunity I’ll try and grab it with both hands.
“(I’m trying) to open up my front foot slightly more in my stance just to get better access and try and defend a lot better when it’s tighter.
“I feel like it’s helped quite a bit and getting more access off my pads as well.
“ … Ever since we’ve been here I feel like I’ve been moving really nice and it’s the best I’ve ever hit it, really. I’m feeling in a good headspace and moving really well.”
Fast bowling spearhead Josh Hazlewood made an encouraging start to his work after being a late arrival to London and emphasised the potential importance of all-rounder Beau Webster in the Australia XI for taking the pressure off Australia’s quicks.
“I think it’s huge,” Hazlewood said when asked about the importance of an all-rounder.
“I remember back to when we didn’t have one, almost 20 odd Test matches and it was brutal. It was tough work. I feel like you’re just continually bowling.”
Webster’s selection is pivotal to the rest of the side because if he plays, it means only one of Labuschagne or Konstas can be accommodated.
Labuschagne and Green were the only two batsmen joining Hazlewood for an optional training session at Beckenham – the last practice at the Kent county cricket ground before things get really serious with a first hit-out at Lord’s on Sunday.
Hazlewood is expected to get the nod over Scott Boland to join Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins as the pace trio.
In the midst of leading Royal Challengers Bangalore to the IPL title, Hazlewood revealed he has been secretly building his workloads for the WTC Final, desperate to avoid the injury perils he’s encountered over recent summers returning from white ball tournaments to the Test arena.
“(It’s been that) side (strain) a number of times, maybe three times in particular. It’s obviously just that the jump up, not only intensity, but just in workload, in that first Test match, as opposed to, you know, T20 cricket,” Hazlewood said.
“The intensity is probably a big one for me to tick that box. We’re definitely adapting training to sort of get those back to back days in, get a big day, followed by another bowling session the day after and things like that, just to try and get our head around it and put ourselves in the best possible position we can be
“It’s just dicing up training a little bit differently, just dicing up the bowling workloads a little bit differently, and hopefully get a different result.”
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