Recently, Australia’s star batsman Marnus Labuschagne has struggled in Test cricket. In the first Test match against India in Perth, the 30-year-old scored two and three runs in two innings, respectively, as the home team lost by a humiliating 295 runs. Prior to the Adelaide Test, Labuschagne’s form has been the subject of numerous concerns. Former cricket player Mitchell Johnson even suggested that the team management remove him from the starting lineup. However, former captain Ricky Ponting disagreed, reiterating the need of supporting “champion” players.
He analyzed both Labuschagne’s innings of Perth and emphasized that he must find a way to turn things around.
It is quite worrying that the batsman, who was previously Australia’s top-ranked Test hitter, has only averaged 13.66 since the January Pakistan series.
“I believe that you must have faith in champion athletes. There are several of the guys on this team that have won championships. Not for a short time, but maybe. I believe I recently read that Marnus has been averaging 13 in Test matches since January (following the Pakistan series). Therefore, he must find a means to make things better. Out of all the batters in Perth, he seemed the most hesitant to me,” Ponting stated in the most recent ICC review.
Indeed, the bowling was of excellent quality. Indeed, it was a challenging wicket to bat on. However, you have to take more chances as a batter when you’re up against the finest bowlers. That, in my opinion, will be the biggest obstacle facing Marnus and company this week. It’s most likely simply letting go a bit. Avoid thinking about getting out first and instead focus on scoring runs first. “Being positive and demonstrating great intent is the only way to change it,” the 49-year-old continued.
Australia is behind 1-0 in the five-match series, and the team captained by Pat Cummins has to start winning quickly since the current India series will have a big impact on their path to the World Test Championship final.
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