Cricket 2024: Australia coach Andrew McDonald backs Marnus Labuschagne to re-find form

Australia’s loss against the Windies continued an extended run of decline for former No.1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne, but his coach is confident he will bounce back.

Australia will remain loyal with its top six for next month’s tour of New Zealand as coach Andrew McDonald backed Marnus Labuschagne to come out of what has been a 13-month free fall.

After eight months lining their trophy cabinet, the Aussies were humbled by the West Indies in Brisbane on Sunday as Shamar Joseph’s resilience and brilliance hauled the tourists to what was their first Test win in Australia since 1997.

The defeat exposed Australia’s reliance on its veteran bowling attack and laid bare middling returns from several of the side’s batters.

With Steve Smith having proven his capacity as an opener with an unbeaten 91, attention has turned to Labuschagne, who averaged just 6.33 across the Windies series.

It continued an extended run of decline for the former No.1-ranked Test batter, whose average has fallen from 60.82 in mid-December of 2022 to 50.82 following the eight-run loss to the Windies.

His pair of dismissals for three and five in Brisbane were almost identical, with the Queenslander twice caught at third slip by Kevin Sinclair after edging balls that hurried him.

Windies vice-captain Alzarri Joseph said during the match that the tourists had done their homework on Labuschagne, with McDonald agreeing that opponents had clearly found ways to succeed against the Aussie No.3.

But the coach said he envisaged the wheel would soon turn for Labuschagne, who at 29 remains the second-youngest member of Australia’s XI.

“I think the positive within that (is that) the law of averages suggests that he’s due for a couple of bumper Test matches and series. So we’ve got trust and faith in the way that he goes about his preparation, the way he goes about his innings,” McDonald said.

“He’s been undone by certain plans at times, so there’s no doubt that we will get into that he does get busy and get back to work. We’ve got full confidence in his ability to rebound. He’s a quality player.

“There’s no doubt that you’re going to go through some lulls of form if you want to call it that.”

Marnus Labuschagne has been down on form. Picture: Pat Hoelscher/AFP

Despite the disappointment of the defeat, McDonald said Australia’s top six was set to remain the same for the two-Test series in New Zealand beginning late next month.

“We’re not in the mood to change the batting order. We feel like as a collective that that unit will be able to have success over multiple Test matches,” McDonald said.

“There’ll be some batters that sit in the room that potentially look back on the summer and there’s a few missed opportunities there. Was it decision-making, was it good bowling? That’ll all unfold. these guys have got an appetite to improve the whole time and you guys witness that.

“I suppose if you look at the irony of it all, the question marks were on Steve Smith and Cameron Green and they were our two best-performed batters (on Sunday). But we see our batting as a collective. There’s going to be people that fail within that at times, there’s going to be people that succeed. It’s all hands on deck, but we feel as though that order with the way it is, they complement each other.”

Green, Smith, Labuschagne and Travis Head – who made a king pair in Brisbane – are all part of the one-day squad to confront the Windies in a series beginning on Friday, with Mitch Marsh and the frontline quicks all being rested for a three-match series that forms the start of the side’s road to next year’s Champions Trophy.

Originally published as Cricket 2024: Australia coach Andrew McDonald backs Marnus Labuschagne to re-find form