Marnus Labuschagne has declared he thrives on “proving the doubters wrong” and put his hand up to open for Australia against England in the first Ashes Test once the rare cricket spectacular gets started in Perth.
Who will open for Australia in the five-rubber Australia vs. England series will — and already has been — one of the biggest questions heading into Summer, with Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, and Marnus Labuschagne some of the leading options.
Labuschagne has spent the last few months watching from the outside after he was dropped in the West Indies.
He’s ready to retake his place, though, not least because Konstas struggled to put up strong numbers after taking his spot. The teen recorded an 8.33 average with 50 runs, the lowest average by an Aussie opener in a Test tour there since 1984.
It may have been more of a blessing than a curse to be dropped, too, the 31-year-old has said, with a time away from the spotlight “going really well” as he works on the issues that had crept into his batting game in recent years.
“It was tough because you never want to be dropped, but almost as soon as their words came out, my mind shifted straight away to, ‘OK, how am I playing the Ashes… how do I make that happen?’’’ He recently declared. “There were probably a few things. I averaged around 60 for a three or four-year period, but for the last year or two, I just haven’t been at my best.’’
“I still feel I found ways to contribute and was proud of the way I got in the contest, but I wasn’t moving into the ball or scoring where I wanted. [Being dropped] has given me an opportunity to reflect and not have the media pressure.’’
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That’s not to say Marnus won’t welcome the pressure should he return to the Australian Test fold when the Perth lineup is selected – in fact, it’s something he says he “thrives on” match to match. “That [pressure] is part of the game,” he admitted. “There’s a tipping point, but it’s something I thrive on… proving the doubters wrong, being able to find a way.”
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Whether Marnus’ eagerness to play the Ashes eventually turns into him playing again remains to be seen, though Bharat Sundaresan did recently say he believes Labuschagne is “a lock” at number three once the teams are picked.
Not so from Aussie legend Ricky Ponting, though, who said he’d pick the same top six that played in the West Indies. That would include Konstas opening alongside Khawaja, with Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, and Beau Webster then filling out the batting order. The only thing that could rattle that would be if Green joins the bowling.
On that, Ponting said Green and Webster should bat at three and six, respectively.
The first Test between Australia and England begins on Friday, November 21, at Optus Stadium.
