Australia National Cricket Team Test captain Pat Cummins has opened up on the struggles of the star batsman Marnus Labuschagne in Test cricket.
Pat Cummins said that there is an urgent need for the former World No.1 batsman Marnus Labuschagne to be more proactive when he comes out to bat in the second Test match of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25.
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Marnus Labuschagne failed in the Perth Test vs India
Labuschagne has been going through a lean patch in Test cricket for a long period of time. The 30-year-old, who was one of the most consistent Test batters in the world, has struggled to get going and it has directly impacted the performance of the Australian team.
In the Test series opener of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy 2024-25, Marnus Labuschagne looked miserable in the first innings before being dismissed for 52-ball 2. Also, in the second innings, he shouldered arms to a Jasprit Bumrah delivery and was dismissed LBW for 3 runs.
In his last 10 innings in Tests, Labuschagne has registered just 123 runs with 90 of those runs coming in one innings against New Zealand in Christchurch. His last Test century came over a year ago in the Manchester Test against the England National Cricket Team in July 2023.
Marnus Labuschagne would be aiming to make a strong comeback in the Adelaide Test against India as he got a good record at the venue, scoring runs at an average of 71.75.
He’s training well like he always does, hitting millions of balls – Pat Cummins
The former World No.1 batsman has been grinding hard in the nets and has focused on his strokeplay. Pat Cummins lauded him for that and urged him to be more proactive in pink-ball Test. He stated:
“He’s training well like he always does, hitting millions of balls. It’s pretty impossible to kind of dismiss or ignore some of the commentary about perhaps being a little bit more proactive, so I think you’ve seen that side of it in the nets.
“The challenge is always going out there and making sure you have that mindset. But he’s been great like he always is. Always working on things, trying to plan how he’s going to score his hundred this Test.”
Pat Cummins provides an update on Mitchell Marsh
Pat Cummins also provided a major update on Mitchell Marsh, who has faced some back issues and was sore after the first Test in Perth.
The Australian skipper said that Marsh was given a few days off from his bowling duties and will definitely bowl in the Adelaide Test whenever required. He said:
“[We] made the call with the medical staff over the last couple of days to give him a couple of days off bowling, but expect him to warm up and if required [he] will bowl.
“Guessing he would be required at some point… prioritise his overs for the games rather than kind of using up some of them in the nets.”
Pat Cummins was also hopeful of his team being better prepared to deal with the Indian team after facing them in the series opener. He elaborated:
“I hope there’s some lessons learnt. The good thing is, batting and bowling we’ve now had a look at them, they’ve had a look at us as well, but you get a look at some of the bowling plans that you want to implement. The same with the batters, they know how they are going to be attacked first up.”