Labuschagne selection error singled out as Gilchrist calls for Aussie shake-up
Gerard Whateley reckons national cricket selectors made a big mistake by not dropping Test star Marnus Labuschagne ahead of June's World Test Championship final. And Aussie legend Adam Gilchrist has called for a shake-up at the top of Australia's batting order for the upcoming Champions Trophy tournament, following a pair of shocking defeats to Sri Lanka in their recent ODI games.
Labuschagne has only averaged 25.36 with the bat in Tests across the summer after a largely disappointing series against India and then again in Sri Lanka. That came after an equally underwhelming previous year for Labuschagne, where he averaged just 27.08 across the summer of 2023/24. And popular sports broadcaster Whateley said on SEN radio on Tuesday that selectors got it wrong by not dropping the 30-year-old before now.
Whateley thinks Labuschagne can keep his spot at No.3 for the WTC final against South Africa at Lord's if he makes runs for Australia in their upcoming Champions Trophy tournament. He argued that form is form regardless of whether it's in red-ball or white-ball cricket but believes Labuschagne and the Aussie Test side would have been better served by the 30-year-old rediscovering his touch in domestic cricket, before returning with renewed confidence to the national set-up.
'In this set-up, runs in any form count and I like that, it has served them well,' Whateley said on SEN Mornings. 'My issue here is Australia needs Labuschagne long-term at three making big runs, that's the premise. He's not a disposable cricketer in my mind, but they should have dropped him. They've missed their moment to drop him when he hasn't been performing."
Whateley says Labuschagne has a history of responding in style after being dropped, having played a key role in Australia's ODI World Cup triumph in 2023. Labuschagne scored an unbeaten 58 as Australia defeated India in the final, having initially been overlooked by selectors in the starting XI. And Whateley says it's an approach selectors should have taken with the 30-year-old in Test cricket.
'He would be back by now (if Australia had dropped him earlier). He has shown through his white-ball cricket that he responds to being at the pointy end of the blade. How many times has he been dropped in 50-over cricket? But he's the body in the lake that keeps coming to the surface, and he plays a huge role for Australia in winning the previous World Cup because of it.
'He should have been dropped, gone back to the Shield, rediscovered his hunger and whatever else it is in red-ball cricket, and then be back into the side. So, I would have had him out and then back in by the World Championship.' Aussie legend Gilchrist even made a shock claim that Labuschagne could open in the WTC final if selectors opt to bring Cam Green back into the top order as a specialist batter, following his lengthy injury lay-off.
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And Gilchrist has made another eye-opening call after suggesting a number of changes to Australia's ODI batting line-up, in the wake of their two heavy defeats to Sri Lanka last week. With opener Matt Short and young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk among those struggling for runs ahead of Australia's first Champions Trophy match on Saturday night, Gilchrist reckons Steve Smith is a "viable" option at opener, where he has excelled in T20 cricket in recent years.
"Obviously Travis (Head) is going to be there (at opener) whenever he's fit and fresh and they are picking whatever is their best team," Gilchrist told ABC radio. "I like Matt Short being in there – that would be a nice combination, left hand-right hand. That would be the preferable way for me to go.
"But I do think Steve Smith could open – we've seen him do it in T20 cricket really well. Maybe he's too valuable in that middle order. I can't see a reason why you wouldn't want him facing as many balls as possible in a 50-over game – it would be a very viable option to get him up there."
Australia kicks off its Champions Trophy campaign against England on Saturday night (AEDT) and it's the one major piece of silverware currently missing from their impressive collection. The Aussies have been rocked by injuries and withdrawals ahead of the tournament though, with frontline quicks Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, plus all-rounders Mitch Marsh and Marcus Stoinis all missing from the original squad.
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