Michael Vaughan, the former England Captain has advised the Australian team management to continue backing struggling Marnus Labuschagne while staying patient as they try to get back into the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series. Australia is looking to bounce back after getting crushed by 295 runs in the opening Test at Perth last week. Speaking to SEN ahead of the second Test at the Adelaide Oval, Vaughan suggested that Australia should give Labuschagne one more match, highlighting his impressive record at the venue. In nine innings at Adelaide, Labuschagne has accumulated 574 runs at an average of 71.75, including three centuries and a half-century.
Changes Shouldn’t Be Made Unless There Is An Injury
“I’d go again (with Labuschagne). I’m a big believer that once you start a series with a team, unless there’s an injury or two and you have to change the formation, because of that, you made the call,” Vaughan told SEN.
“I believe you keep the same side for two or three games … try and get them playing together. If you start swapping and changing the side, that can create a bit more chaos in the batting unit.”
Vaughan Backs Marnus Labuschagne
“It’s not the Marnus of three or four years ago, so he’s got to find a method of looking to score and being a bit more positive, I think we’ll see that in Adelaide.”
Vaughan’s remarks came after a starry century by 19-year-old Sam Kontas in a pink-ball warm-up match against India at the Manuka Oval in Canberra. Kontas rescued the Prime Minister’s XI with a rapid 90-ball century after the hosts had been reduced to 22 for 2 by India’s near full-strength bowling attack. Kontas’ impressive performance has ignited discussions about potential changes to Australia’s Test squad.
Some have even indicated that he could make his Test debut, and this might well lead to a reshuffle where Nathan McSweeney might return to his preferred No. 3 position, replacing Labuschagne.
