Former English top-order hitter Mark Butcher thinks Marnus Labuschagne will be better at No. 3 than Cameron Green in the Ashes. November 21 marks the start of the five-match series.
Butcher said Marnus Sheffield Shield performance for Queensland bodes well for Australia. The former left-handed batsman said Labuschagne had silenced his naysayers with his recent exploits.
Marnus looks to have regained what made him so successful in the early part of his Test-match career by churning out runs for enjoyment in the Sheffield Shield, which is great for Australia, especially in batting. I suspect they were reluctant to include any of the other likely lads, none of whom have set the globe on fire in recent years. “They needed an old hand to prove he was still top class, and I think he did that,” Butcher told the Wisden Cricket Weekly Podcast.
He said an early wicket is always possible in an Australian Test match. Butcher believes Labuschagne is the best candidate to stabilise the ship.
“In Australia, openers are constantly at risk of being bowled over against the new ball. In those circumstances, Labuschagne, a top-class top-order hitter, should bat at three rather than first and then Green, who has yet to prove himself as a Test-match number three”, he said.
His last Test for Australia was the 2023-25 World Test Championship final before he was dropped for the West Indies tour. His name is on the first Test squad against England.
In his last eight innings for Queensland, Labuschagne has scored five centuries in red-ball and List A matches. The Aussies hope he maintains his form and performs well in the series opener.
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