Adam Gilchrist backs underfire Marnus Labuschagne to open in World Test Championship final

Adam Gilchrist believes Marnus Labuschagne could be a shock option to open the batting for Australia in the World Test Championship Final as he fights to save his career.

Adam Gilchrist believes Marnus Labuschagne could be a shock option to open the batting for Australia in the World Test Championship Final as he fights to save his career.

Test great Gilchrist is putting on the gloves again himself this Saturday in his home town of Lismore for a Legends Twenty20 match aimed at supporting the northern rivers community which was devastated by floods back in 2022.

Former Test fast bowlers Jason Gillespie, Michael Kasprowicz and Andy Bichel as well as recently retired stars Steve O’Keefe and Dan Christian and Powderfinger royalty Bernard Fanning will join Gilchrist in the T20 celebrity match at Oakes Oval in Lismore as the town continues to rebuild thanks to a $860 million investment from the NSW Government.

Gilchrist says Australia’s top six for the WTC Final against South Africa at Lord’s in June is almost impossible to pick with young gun opener Sam Konstas and proven Test star Cameron Green set to push hard to return to the line-up and heap enormous pressure on incumbent No.3 Labuschagne.

Marnus Labuschagne could be a shock option to open for Australia in the World Test Championship final, according to Adam Gilchrist. Picture: Getty Images

Of all the options available to Australian selectors, Gilchrist feels one could be shifting Labuschagne up to open the batting as a last chance saloon which would allow Green to be injected back into the side.

“I think natural progression or movement would be Travis Head goes back into his No.5 spot, so that’s going to open up the opening position. It’s really hard to know because this selection panel and the leadership … they’ve thrown all traditional selection policy out the window and they’re creating their own environment and policy on how they want to play out every single Test match,” Gilchrist said ahead of Saturday afternoon’s festivities in Lismore.

“They’re flush with choices particularly if Green comes back fit to bat.

“It’ll boil down to the conditions over there and who they think is going to do the best job for those five days.

“… It wouldn’t surprise me (if Marnus) may well be in the calculations if they’ve got to replace an opener with Travis going back to 5.

Adam Gilchrist said Marnus Labuschagne’s promotion to opener would be a last-chance move. Picture: Getty Images for Cricket Australia

“They might even say, ‘right Marnus, you go up there,’ if they want to retain him in the team.

“They obviously put a lot of value on him being in the team and he played a couple of really reliable knocks in the summer (against India) without being back up to the lofty standards he set over the last few years.

“I think they put a high importance on Marnus’ presence in the team so he could be one of a number of options they look at at the top of the order.”

Labuschagne is on the thinnest of ice with Konstas and Green knocking on the door and Josh Inglis also fresh from a Test hundred in Sri Lanka.

The squeeze is on and Labuschagne may try and look to county cricket – where he has excelled in the past – as a means of playing himself into form before the one-off grand final style Test against the country of his birth, South Africa in June.

But Labuschagne will have to balance his insatiable thirst to bat with ensuring he remains fresh given he is also part of Australia’s Champions Trophy one-day team.

Labuschagne averages 39.36 from 10 Tests on English soil, including a hundred on the last Ashes.

Marnus Labuschagne walks off after another cheap dismissal in Sri Lanka. Picture: Getty Images

Gilchrist said whilst there is a fundraising element to the Lismore Legends T20, the match is more about celebrating the strength of the community and giving the town a reason to come together.

“It’s about recognising the resilience of the region and the community spirit that’s around,” Gilchrist said.

“The rebuild is a real long-term project. We just want to put on an event the community can really come along and enjoy.

“We’ve got a couple of old boys turning up as well as some local female cricketers like Sammy-Jo Johnson and George Redmayne that have played Big Bash and even a bit of rockstar material with Bernard Fanning and Pat Davern from Grinspoon.”

*For tickets and event information go to visitlismore.com.au

Originally published as Adam Gilchrist backs underfire Marnus Labuschagne to open in World Test Championship final