He missed out twice against Northamptonshire ahead of the selectors needing to decide the make-up of Australia’s top three
Andrew McGlashan22-May-2025How important will events in Cardiff over the next four days prove to Australia’s plans for the World Test Championship final? After his twin failures against Northamptonshire, Marnus Labuschagne has one more outing, against Middlesex, to find some form before decision day draws closer for the selectors over the make-up of the batting order.With Cameron Green’s strong showing against Kent, it feels like his recall for the final against South Africa is becoming increasingly assured even though he won’t be able to bowl. Therefore, the last call to make – providing Beau Webster’s overs are wanted and Josh Hazlewood’s shoulder doesn’t become an issue – would appear to be between Labuschagne and Sam Konstas, with Josh Inglis an outside option given chair of selectors George Bailey put his name in the mix. Whoever gets the nod will be Usman Khawaja’s opening partner.Related
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It may be that the selectors are not swayed massively by what happens in a pair of County Championship matches but Labuschagne, while being an incumbent Test player with an average of 46.76 and 11 hundreds, is not coming into the debate from a position of strength. His Test figure in this WTC cycle is 28.33 with just one century which came 29 innings ago against England during the 2023 Ashes; his last hundred in all first-class cricket was in June 2024.There was a similarity in his pair of dismissals against Northamptonshire last week: squared up and edging to third slip, firstly against fellow Australian Harry Conway, who has recently lost his state contract, and then to Ben Sanderson in a small chase. There wasn’t much to gain with Glamorgan needing 66 to win, but the chance of red-inker 30 went missing. As the catch was taken, Labuschagne lingered at the crease with the expression of someone pondering his lot.The selectors will deliberate long and hard before moving Labuschagne aside. Even when not at his best, the three half-centuries against India last season all came at crucial stages of the series. Unlike Konstas, Labuschagne also has considerable experience batting in England. But it would continue a strange time at the top of Australia’s order if they opt to effectively manufacture another opener.