Ricky Ponting has recently emphasised the need of dropping Labuschagne. During the second Test against Bangladesh, the former Australia captain cited Labuschagne’s inability to score efficiently off the back foot as a serious issue, noting that the batsman has averaged only 24 since his last Test century in 2023.
Cricket Australia picked a 16-man squad for the Test tour of South Africa on September 7, keeping Marnus Labuschagne at number three despite a poor run of form.
The team also comprised Cooper Connolly, Michael Neser, and Matthew Kuhnemann. Labuschagne’s selection comes after he scored only 1, 31 and 4 in three innings against Bangladesh, and he was left out of six ODIs leading up to the Test series.
Labuschagne has averaged 24.69 during his last 43 Test innings, dating back to July 2023 and without include a single century. Selection chair George Bailey recognised the worry, noting that the selectors would like to see more runs from the 32-year-old batsman.
Despite his troubles, Australia chose to keep him for the three-Test tour, which will be held in Durban from October 9 to 13, Gqeberha from October 18 to 22, and Cape Town from October 27 to 31.
Ricky Ponting support of Connolly’s nomination
Ricky Ponting was satisfied with Australia’s decision to choose Cooper Connolly for the squad. He believes Australia is now in a situation where strong Sheffield Shield results should not be the main criterion for selection, with talent also receiving more attention.
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