Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne has come under a lot of flak for his ordinary performances in Tests, most recently in the series against Bangladesh where he scored just 36 across 3 innings in the two matches. With the batter getting selected in the squad for the crucial 3 Tests against South Africa, set to begin on October 9, Australia selector George Bailey said that Labuschagne can still make a positive impact even though there was no guarantee that he’ll be in the playing XI for the 1st Test.

“We are not shying away from the fact that we’d like some more runs from Marnus. That’s clear, but we’re also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad. I think our batting group in its entirety, not just Marnus, probably hasn’t been functioning as successfully as we would like, but also not shying away from the fact that we’ve continued to win a lot of Test matches over that period. And that ultimately, I think that’s the key, isn’t it? Scoring more runs than the opposition that you’re playing the game in,” Bailey said on Monday.

“I think Marn (Labuschagne) will continue to prepare and refine how he will prepare for this series. Clearly there’s potentially a simplification or an ability to focus purely on red-ball cricket for him in the fact that he won’t be in the one day series leading up to it. So that may be a benefit. He’ll prepare incredibly well and specifically for this tour. And as I said, in that squad of 16, I’m confident that he can still make a positive contribution,” he added.

Labuschagne has been ordinary for Australia in recent times with his last century in the Baggy Green coming in July 2023. Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting and former opener Mathew Hayden have criticized Labuschagne for his performances, indicating that the Aussies should move on from the player.

Labuschagne was widely seen as a second Steve Smith due to his eccentric mannerisms while batting and his extraordinary form between 2019 and 2022. Since then, however, Labuschagne’s graph has been on a downturn. He hasn’t been able to score a century since his last one during the 2023 Ashes and has scored 121 runs this year in five innings.