Due to Marnus Labuschagne’s persistently subpar performance throughout the Test series against Bangladesh, Ricky Ponting has urged Australia to move on. Labuschagne continued a challenging run that had seen him score 1 and 31 in the first Test in Darwin when he was removed for 4 runs in the second Test on August 22 in Mackay.
Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has had enough of Marnus Labuschagne’s protracted, challenging run with the bat. The skipper of the 2003 and 2007 World Cup-winning team asked the Australian management to think about changing the lineup after the No. 3 batsman survived just nine balls in the midst of the first innings of the second Test against Bangladesh on Saturday.
After Day 1 of the second Test, Ponting voiced his dissatisfaction with Labuschagne’s protracted problems and said it was time for selectors to look at other options. Although the former captain of Australia recognised the selectors’ attempts to get Labuschagne back on track, he believed the evidence had been too strong.
Talking with 7Cricket, he said, “Well look with this Aussie team and the selectors I admire what they’re trying to do with Marnus. I admire that they tried to get him and get him back to his best but it’s been way too long now. And I’m on record as saying I would have made that change at the start of this series because I think there was enough evidence for me to suggest that he was a long way from rediscovering his best.”
He further added, “And he’ll look back at today, he was unlucky, there’s no doubt about that. But that tends to happen to you as well when you’re struggling and you’re trying to find some form and some rhythm. The worry that I had with him, I think there’s some technical deficiency there but he’s making the margin for error for the bowlers too great.”
The former captain of Australia also mentioned the batter’s inability to play well off the back foot, which was once a strength of his game. Ponting claims that the modification has made it simpler for opposing bowlers to test Labuschagne and highlight his present flaws.
Labuschagne was once considered the world’s best Test batsman and has had significant success in Test cricket. His recent returns, however, have fallen far short of those expectations, and the escalating technical issues have made his position more precarious.
