Follow UsWith the World Test Championship (WTC) final being less than a week away, for Australia, one of the biggest questions looming is Marnus Labuschagne's spot in the XI. The batter, once a pillar of Australia's top order, now finds himself at a crossroads. Former captain Aaron Finch believes Labuschagne's batting approach has raised red flags.
"It's a difficult one because Marnus hasn't scored the runs at No. 3 and the way that he's been playing has probably been the concern for me," Finch told ESPNcricinfo.
"I mean, his strike rate has plummeted over the last 18 months. He is not putting any pressure back on the opposition at all. And when you're batting in that position, you have to be prepared to counterattack at certain times.”
In the ongoing WTC cycle, Labuschagne has managed an average of just 28.33, a far cry from his exceptional performance in the four years preceding that. There have been crucial knocks - a century at Old Trafford in 2023, a gritty 90 in Christchurch, and a few fifties against India. But those are exceptions rather than the norm.
The Perth Test against India, where he crawled to 2 off 52 balls, and another sluggish 12 off 52 in Brisbane, have highlighted the broader concern that Labuschagne is letting bowlers settle far too easily.
"You can't just allow the best bowlers in the world to bowl with a new ball at you over and over without forcing their hand a little bit. You're going to get a good one. We've seen wickets around the world have probably been better for fast bowling over the last couple of years, so you can't afford to just sit there and wait to score."
This brings 20-year-old Sam Konstas into the conversation. Konstas scored 60 off 65 balls at the MCG against India, which earned him early praise as an able replacement for the opener's slot left vacant by David Warner.
"Beau Webster took his opportunity at No. 6, maybe Konstas comes back into the side to open the batting, and you throw Cam Green at three and you almost push that for the next cycle of the WTC as well," Finch said. "Steve Smith's batting in great nick at four, [then] Travis Head five."
Speaking about Head, Finch said, "He puts pressure on the opposition before he has faced to ball," Finch said. "You know that you have to be right on, and sometimes the better you bowl, the better he bats. It's like his game is set up for that top-of-the-off ball. He hits different areas on the ground: he will hit the same ball that's fourth stump through backwards point or wide mid-on.
"So bowlers, all of a sudden, feel that pressure and start searching for ways to get him out. So that's an advantage as well. And he'll come hard, he'll try, and he understands that you've got your name on one eventually, so get them before they get you.”