Cricket-Australia coach McDonald backs stuttering Labuschagne
June 15 (Reuters) - Batter Marnus Labuschagne is still a key part of Australia's future in test cricket despite failing to impress in their five-wicket defeat to South Africa in the World Test Championship final, coach Andrew McDonald said.
Labuschagne opened alongside Khawaja, scoring 17 runs off 56 balls in the first innings and 22 off 64 in the second, with South Africa completing a remarkable turnaround on Saturday after successfully chasing down an imposing 282-run target.
The 30-year-old has scored one hundred in his last 28 tests and has come away with single-digit tallies in four of his last 11 matches.
"He's a big part of the future of the team. Anyone that averages 45, 46 in test cricket at that age is important. We've got older players there that are closer to the end than the start," McDonald told reporters.
"We've got some younger players that are coming in. If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order. But at the moment, he'd be disappointed with the returns. He's missed out on big scores.
"But we're confident that he could return to his best and hence why we keep picking him. And at what point do we stop picking him? I think most players across their journey get dropped at some point in time..."
Khawaja also struggled against South Africa, departing for a duck in the first innings and scoring just six runs in his second, but McDonald said the 38-year-old veteran's presence in the team was invaluable.
"He's on contract, he's an important player. He gives us stability at his best at the top. And we like to look at our players at their best," McDonald said.
"No doubt, a couple of failures here and people then start to talk about maybe it's the end. I don't see an end date with the way he's training, the way he's preparing, the way he's moving."
Australia next travel to the Caribbean for a three-test series against West Indies beginning on June 25. (Reporting by Aadi Nair in Bengaluru)
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
31 minutes ago
- First Post
Thakur boosts chances of selection for England Tests with unbeaten ton; India-India A game called off on Day 3
Shardul Thakur made a strong case for selection for the upcoming India-England Test series that gets underway in Headingley on Friday with an unbeaten 122 against an attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh. read more Shardul Thakur has not represented India since the first Test against South Africa in December 2023. Reuters Shardul Thakur made a strong case for selection in the upcoming Test series against England by smashing a defiant century on the final day of the intra-squad game between India and India A in Beckenham. Thakur, who last represented India in the first Test against South Africa in December 2023, remained unbeaten 122 on Sunday while playing for India A. What made his knock even more impressive was the fact that he scored those runs against an attack comprising Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Arshdeep Singh – all of whom are India's first-choice pacers for the series that gets underway on Friday in Headingley, Leeds. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Thakur had also impressed with the ball earlier in the game and was among the wickets, troubling newly-appointed Test captain Shubman Gill as well as KL Rahul and Karun Nair – who has earned a Test recall in the tour of England after eight years in the wilderness. Intra-squad match called off halfway into the third day The Indian team management decided to call off the intra-squad game, which was supposed to end on Monday, 16 June, halfway into the third day, with nearly eight sessions being played during the course of the warm-up game. Thakur's heroics in Beckenham have ensured captain Gill and head coach Gautam Gambhir have a real headache when it comes to choosing between the Mumbaikar and fellow seam-bowling all-rounder Nitish Kumar Reddy. Thakur was not part of India's squad for the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia – their last Test assignment – while Reddy played all five matches, scoring a memorable century in Melbourne. However, the fact that Thakur's 'golden arm' comes in handy for the team when it comes to getting breakthroughs as well as the fact that Reddy has hardly made an impact as a bowler might result in the former's name getting included in the team sheet. The match also witnessed middle-order batter Sarfaraz Khan – who has not been included in the squad for the England Tests – smash a 76-ball 101 for India A . Additionally, Gill and Rahul scored half-centuries to help India post 469 on the board. Bumrah, meanwhile, had gone wicketless while Siraj and Krishna collected a couple of wickets each, with Reddy bagging one. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Team India will leave for Leeds on Tuesday, 17 June – a day after the warm-up game was scheduled to conclude and three days before the series opener against Ben Stokes' men gets underway.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Shubman Gill is fully ready to lead the Indian Test team in England, says Kuldeep Yadav
Left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav believes Shubman Gill is completely prepared to captain the Indian Test team on their five-match Test tour of England, starting in Leeds on June 20. The series against England is Gill's first assignment as India's Test captain after his predecessor Rohit Sharma retired from the format last month. The Test series in England will be India's first challenge in the 2025-27 World Test Championship (WTC) cycle. 'As you have seen, Shubman knows how to lead the team. He has worked under a lot of seniors as well. From the last couple of years, he has been in a lot of discussions with Rohit - not only in ODIs, but also in Tests. I am sure he has learnt a lot.' 'As a leader, from what I have seen, he is very motivated. The way he thinks is very important. He has helped the team a lot. In the last 3-4 sessions, I have seen the quality of the leadership group and I have seen that in Shubman as well. He is fully ready to lead the team,' said Kuldeep to reporters on the sidelines of day three of intra-squad practice game in Beckenham. Without going into specific details of the intra-squad game, Kuldeep said the batters have fared well so far. 'The top order have done very good batting, if we talk about both the teams. I feel that seamers have also bowled very well.' 'If you talk about fast bowlers in both the teams, I feel that Shardul has bowled very well in the first innings. In the second innings, the senior fast bowlers have bowled very well. Overall, the performance in the squad has been very good.' This will be India's first series after retirements of Rohit and Virat Kohli, and Kuldeep admitted the side will feel their void when the matches happen from June 20 to August 4. 'When there are no seniors, you always feel their absence. The players like Virat and Rohit, who have done so much for the team. Their importance will always be felt.' 'It is an opportunity for the youngsters to perform well. They have a chance to settle in the team, and that is very important. I am sure everyone is feeling their absence in the team. But the youngsters look very excited.' 'They consider the conditions to be challenging for the battle, and are ready for it. As you can see in the practice session, the batsmen are preparing, taking a lot of time in batting and doing well in preparation.' '100% it is a challenging series. We have got a very good team as well. Obviously, we have new faces. Everyone is very excited to start this first Test in Headingley. We are very looking forward to it,' concluded Kuldeep.
India Today
2 hours ago
- India Today
VVS Laxman to lead India's preparations for 1st Test in Gambhir's absence: Report
VVS Laxman is reportedly set to oversee India's preparations ahead of the first Test against England after head coach, Gautam Gambhir had to fly back home due to a family to a report from Revsportz, the former Indian cricketer, who is now the head of the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) Centre of Excellence (COE), is already in London as part of the India Under-19's tour of the United Kingdom. His junior team will be taking part in five List A games which are set to begin on June 27, followed by two first class as well, set to be played in Beckenham and Chelmsford, later next had been involved with the first-team previously when a second-string side was sent to South Africa to take part in a T20I series. Gautam Gambhir had to travel back after his mother reportedly suffered a heart attack on June 11. Earlier Gambhir had to return back from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy last year as well due to a family were asked about his ability to coach the Test side following defeats to New Zealand at home and Australia away, which resulted in the side missing out on the spot in the World Test Championship final as well. However, the former cricketer has proven his credentials in the white-ball format, having led India to the Champions Trophy title in 2025 alongside creating a refreshed T20I side under the captaincy of Suryakumar team began their final leg of preparations with an intra-squad game where the likes of KL Rahul and Shubman Gill scored fifties on the opening day, followed by Sarfaraz Khan's quickfire century to keep himself in the running for a spot in the tour will be the start of a new era where Shubman Gill will begin his journey as Test captain, and he will need all the support he can get as they face a tough task of facing England on their home side will hope that Gambhir can rejoin the squad as soon as possible. India Today had previously learnt that the head coach is set to return on June 17, three days before the first Test in Watch
