It’s been speculated in the Australian press and murmured by the former Australian players that Marnus Labuschagne, who was dropped for the first Test against West Indies, might not make it for the Ashes series owing to poor form, but Steve Smith has thrown his weight behind the out-of-favour middle-order batsman.
“At his best, he’s as good as anyone in the world and I’ve no doubt he’ll get back there. He’s actually in a pretty good place. I think I said it after the last game – I thought he batted really well in the World Test Championship Final without going on to make a big score,” Smith told SEN Radio.
“I thought his movements, the positions he was getting himself into and the way he was in particular clipping the ball through mid-wicket (was great). I think when he’s doing that from an off-stump line, I feel like that’s when he’s in a good place, his balance is good, and his movements are pretty good. So yeah, I thought he was batting well.”
When Labuschagne was dropped for the first Test, Australia chairman of selectors George Bailey had said in a statement: “Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects. We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”
Smith reckoned that Labuschagne is as “good as anyone in world”. “Labuschagne’s obviously not played the last Test match, and he’s got an opportunity to work on a few things that he probably wants to work on without the pressures of playing in the game as well.”
Sam Konstas replaced Labuschagne as the opener, and Cameron Green had played as No.3 in the first Test against West Indies. Neither scored much, and Smith has asked for more patience.
.
“I think for them it’s just about being patient,” Smith said. “Cam’s done it before in Test cricket, he scored runs, so he’s not foreign to that. Maybe batting at number three but I’ve always said it, even when I went up to open the batting, it’s just a number. Sometimes you feel more comfortable in a certain position, but it’s also just a number. You can come in at any time when the ball’s new or whatever when you lose a few early wickets.
“I think we’ve just got to be patient with them, they’re talented players, they’ve got good skills and I’m sure they’ll come good.”
