Marnus Labuschagne puts team first ahead of expected Ashes Test recall
Returning Test batsman Marnus Labuschagne has declared he will bat wherever he’s told in Australia's line-up, putting team success ahead of personal preference for the first Ashes Test.
Marnus Labuschagne is happy to bat wherever he’s told in his expected return to Test cricket next week, saying “team balance” is what’s important for Australia in the Ashes series.
Having lost his place in the Test team earlier this year in the West Indies, Labuschagne was last week named in Australia’s extended squad of 15 for the opening Ashes battle, which starts in Perth on Friday week.
The 31-year-old Queenslander’s preference is to bat in his usual position of No.3, however he’s content to open if the selectors opt to play both Cameron Green and Beau Webster.
If Green and Webster play, they are likely to bat at No.3 and No.6 respectively, which would mean Labuschagne would open with his state teammate Usman Khawaja.
However, if Tasmanian all-rounder Webster is left out, Green would likely drop down to six, Labuschagne would come in at the fall of the first wicket, and another Tasmanian, Jake Weatherald, would make his Test debut and open with Khawaja.
“I’ll bat wherever they tell me to bat,” Labuschagne said ahead of Queensland’s Sheffield Shield battle with Western Australia starting at the WACA on Tuesday.
“Considering I’ve probably played 56 Tests at No.3, that would sound right (batting in that spot) but I don’t mind where I bat. It’s all about team balance.”
After being dropped from the team, the 58-Test veteran has bounced back to form with superb domestic form in the Shield and One-Day Cup competitions.
“I was probably getting a little bit too much in my own head with my technical stuff, leading into games, the day before and the day of the games,” said Labuschagne, whose most recent of his 11 Test centuries came against England in 2023.
“I just wanted to go out there with a clear mind, and I found the best way to do that was to save the batting for the game.”
Labuschagne said playing at the WACA this week would be the ideal preparation for the first Test at Optus Stadium.
“It’s probably the best prep you can get,” he said.
“The WACA wicket and the Optus wicket are very similar in terms of their bounce and characteristics.
“It’ll just be how much moisture is in this wicket, compared to what sort of moisture they’ll leave in the wicket at Optus Stadium.”
Labuschagne was also confident that WA’s Green would bat well at either No.3 or No.6 in the opening Test.
“We’ve got a very small sample size of him at three … (but) we know the quality of player he is, we know the ability he has,” he said of Green.
“He’s got a nice defence. For a really big strong guy, he’s got great touch and great understanding of the game, so wherever he fits in, if that’s at three or down the order, he’s got skill sets that can manage both those spots.”
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