In a major move for Queensland, Marnus Labuschagne will captain the state side for the first time in a professional environment when they play their last Marsh Cup match against South Australia. At Karen Rolton Oval, the 29-year-old, who is well-known for his reputation in international cricket and his batting prowess, will assume the captaincy.
With vice-captain Jimmy Peirson and regular skipper Usman Khawaja both out by injury and rest, respectively, Labuschagne’s selection as captain came at a pivotal moment. Peirson is recovering from a knee injury, which allows Khawaja, a 29-year-old hitter, to take control of the next Test series against New Zealand.
Marnus Labuschagne leads Queensland as captain for the first time.
Labuschagne was appointed despite having little prior leadership experience because of his rising reputation in the Australian cricket community. Labuschagne will have to prove his leadership abilities on the home circuit after playing a key role in Australia’s success in both the Test and ODI formats.
Last year, he was supposed to captain Australia A versus New Zealand A, but he was called up for international action, so Will Sutherland took over as captain. Now that the burden of leadership is squarely on his shoulders, Labuschagne is poised to leave his imprint.
In the meantime, 25-year-old Dylan McLachlan, a batsman and wicketkeeper, will make his List A cricket debut in Queensland. But Labuschagne’s main concern will be organizing his forces to properly counter a South Australian team that has Alex Carey to its advantage.
Both Queensland and South Australia are eliminated from contention for a position in the finals when they square off in their final Marsh Cup match. But since Labuschagne is a strong candidate to captain the national team in the future, his captaincy debut is something to look forward to.
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