Follow UsAfter a bolting start to his ODI career, where he averaged 39.41 and struck at 91.13 after his first 13 ODIs, Marnus Labuschagne’s form has fallen off a cliff. In the last year, since March 2022, the right-handed batter only averages 24.93 while striking at 74.94 in 17 ODI fixtures, leading to the Australian selectors dropping him for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India.
Whilst there is a huge cry for his exclusion from the setup, the fact that Mitchell Marsh’s form has been on the up has allowed Australia to field multiple desired combinations in Labuschagne’s absence. Australia’s Chair of Selectors, George Bailey, didn’t mince his words either when he clearly stated that Labuschagne’s axe is a result of his patchy form.
"It is form based," Bailey stated before adding, “We know Marnus at his best is good enough to hold down a spot in the one-day team, we just haven't seen enough of it consistently in the role that we'd like him to do. Leading into the World Cup, there's some opportunities for others to get a bit more game time.
But having said that, the right-hander has been picked in Australia’s A setup against New Zealand A, where he will have the opportunity to showcase his worth. The opportunities won’t stop there for the Queenslander, who will also get to take part in the domestic 50-over tournament, Marsh Cup.
"We've been really clear with Marnus, he's going to be part of some Australia A games around the same time so he can focus on some white-ball cricket. Clearly the squad we have going to South Africa have the frontrunning for [the World Cup] but Marnus, the age he is, the skillset he has, I have no doubt he'll play a part in one-day cricket in the future. We know at his best he can play a really important role in one-day cricket."
Similarly, after such a stellar start to his Test career, Cameron Green had tapered off and was subsequently dropped for the fifth Test against England at The Oval. While injuries definitely played a part, Bailey was insistent on the fact that Green remains an ‘important member’ of the white-ball teams.
"Even as far as Test cricket, he's going to play a huge role and be a really, really important member of that side and he's going to be a really important member of our white-ball teams in the near future. He's certainly one where it's about giving him a little bit more time off to make sure he hits the ground running for the one-day series."