Daniel Cherny: Will Marnus Labuschagne hold his spot for World Test Championship final?

Even an umpire howler couldn’t save Marnus Labuschagne from another low score in the second Test in Galle. As DANIEL CHERNY writes, the Aussie No. 3 is on borrowed time.

Marnus Labuschagne has the longest active streak of consecutive Tests for Australia but his run is in grave danger of ending at 52.

The Aussies’ next match in the game’s longest format is the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord’s in June. That is a neat segue to outline Labuschagne’s decline, because the introduction of the WTC has allowed long-term form to be tidily mapped out over two-year windows.

Though Labuschagne played a handful of Tests against Pakistan and India in late 2018 and early 2019, it was his mid-Ashes introduction as a concussion replacement for Steve Smith later in ‘19 that marked his arrival as a force in international cricket.

In the first WTC cycle, beginning with that drawn Ashes bout, Labuschagne averaged an extraordinary 72.82.

In the second edition that ran from 2021 to 2023 — one that proved triumphant for Australia — it was still a mightily impressive 52.53.

With his dismissal lbw for four to Prabath Jayasuriya on Friday, Labuschagne’s average during the current WTC iteration fell to 27.54.

Caught on the back pad, he was given a brief stay of execution by umpire Adrian Holdstock only to be sent packing when DRS showed three red strikes.

Marnus Labuschagne was out lbw as his lean run continued. Picture: Robert Cianflone/Getty Images

Marnus Labuschagne all at sea with his footwork and judgement of length. Looked plumb live and rightly given out on DRS with three reds.

Pressure on Labuschagne increases.#SLvAUSpic.twitter.com/MYdr3DXqc7

— CricBlog ✍ (@cric_blog) February 7, 2025

This can no longer be deemed an aberration. Though Labuschagne has played some important innings throughout this period, including a crucial ton at Manchester to help secure the Ashes and two half-centuries in last year’s pivotal Boxing Day Test, the trend is overwhelmingly heading downward.

Labuschagne watches on during the review. Picture: Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

He cannot claim to have merely been “Bumrahed” like Usman Khawaja quipped at the end of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series.

The nature of the WTC is that the two-year decline takes in six different opponents across series in four different countries and three continents.

Surely it’s time for Marnus to go back to shield cricket and earn his way back into the side.
He’s been in a horrible slump and next to no signs of getting out of it. #SLvAUS

— Hayden (@cashy_93) February 7, 2025

Marnus Labuschagne dismissal is as bad as you'll see from a first drop. Plays back to a ball he should be on the front foot. Ball pitched outside off stump, he plays for spin and LBW or bowled is always a chance for the straight one from the left arm orthodox round the wicket.

— Nathan Watson (@N_Watson_) February 7, 2025

Marnus all at sea in this environment...

— Ric Finlay (@RicFinlay) February 7, 2025

While there was ultimately nothing sinister about Labuschagne batting out of position in the nets two days before the game - coach Andrew McDonald has told players that he wanted them conserving energy in sapping conditions - it raised eyebrows for a couple of reasons.

One, because Labuschagne is so fastidious about his preparation that it was highly unusual not to see him in the thick of things against the spinners in the nets. And two, because it would not have taken a massive stretch of the imagination to believe Labuschagne had been dropped for this Test, having made just 20 in his lone innings of the series opener.

Labuschagne’s form has tailed off badly in the past 12 months. Picture: Ishara S. KODIKARA / AFP

With Cameron Green firming to be available as a specialist batter against the Proteas, Labuschagne has left himself seriously vulnerable to being squeezed out of the side, given Travis Head will almost certainly return to the middle order and Sam Konstas will be strongly considered to open the batting. Josh Inglis’ impressive Test debut last week and the solid form of Alex Carey further endangers Labuschagne.

If the Queensland captain bats again in this Test, it is hard not to think he is playing for his spot, notwithstanding that he is part of the squad for the upcoming one-day Champions Trophy.

Originally published as Daniel Cherny: Will Marnus Labuschagne hold his spot for World Test Championship final?