Flirting with disaster: Labuschagne’s fight to end his batting decline

Loading Vaughan is adamant that Labuschagne’s remedy for a recent downturn in scoring is not to be tempted too much by balls in the channel outside off stump. “My message to Marnus would be to get back into your box and play the way you used to play,” Vaughan told this masthead on Tuesday at the Kayo cricket launch. “Play with patience, great discipline, and expect they are going to bowl fourth stump, at length, just on that channel. That’s where India are going to challenge him. “If he can leave those balls, they are going to have to come a bit fuller, and then he will get a drive away, or they will have to go a bit straighter. I think in recent times he has almost been trying to hit the ball too much. Marnus Labuschagne walks off the Adelaide Oval after nicking Haris Rauf. Credit: Getty Images

“When he is playing at his best he just leaves and leaves, he wears the opposition bowlers down, he gets them into a second spell, the third spell, and Kookaburra ball, as we know, as soon as it gets to 40 overs, well, it’s Christmas. But you have got to earn the right to get to 40 overs.” India trained at Perth Stadium for the first time on Tuesday morning ahead of Friday’s first ball of the series. Team security compelled a section of the Australian media to move away from a viewing spot behind the nets because this was deemed to be too close to Virat Kohli and company. ‘My message to Marnus would be to get back into your box and play the way you used to play.’ England cricket great Michael Vaughan There was some surprise around the cricket system when neither Labuschagne nor Steve Smith were on the plane to Perth for the third ODI against Pakistan, given the opportunity to face a quality pace attack on the same square where they would play India a couple of weeks later. But Labuschagne argued that the decision’s wisdom would be seen in the later passages of Australia’s first five-match series against India in more than 30 years.

“It’s going to be vital come that fourth or fifth Test,” he said. “It may look a little bit strange when you’re looking at the first Test, but looking at the whole series, that’s what Cricket Australia have got their eyes on. “We’re here to win the series and the first game everyone might be fresh and fine, but when you get to the second, third, fourth game of such a big series, that’s where the impact is going to be had.” ‘Give him two summers’: Warner urges selectors to stick with McSweeney David Warner has urged selectors to be patient with debutant Nathan McSweeney, even if he struggles to cement the opener’s position against India this summer. Warner backed McSweeney’s technique for the top of the order, and tipped him to be the leading run-scorer for the series.

“It’s a great time for him to come in, it’s a big series, the first time Australia is playing five Tests against India on home soil (since 1991-92). I think he has the technique, the patience to partner up with ‘Uzzy’ (Usman Khawaja) to allow himself to score big,” Warner said at Kayo and Fox Cricket’s summer launch. Nathan McSweeney is preparing to make his Test debut in Perth. Credit: Getty Images “I have pencilled him for the highest run-scorer this year. I am looking forward to that. “I am also looking forward to seeing how he adapts to batting with someone like Usman Khawaja, because it’s a partnership that you have to build. I think they have the same patience, which is going to be good for them, and [will] hold the middle order in good stead.” Warner said he had confidence McSweeney would adapt to the opening role, pointing to Khawaja’s success when shifted up the order.

Sydney Thunder captain and ex-Test star David Warner will be in the Fox Cricket commentary box this summer. Credit: Getty Images “Uzzy started his career at three, bats at four for Queensland, opened one of the games for Queensland this year. I don’t think it’s where you bat necessarily – I think it’s where you can adapt the best,” he said. “He is going to have to adapt to opening the batting, but I think, psychologically, (there are) batters who prefer to wait before they go out – that’s probably the only mindset (change), rather than waiting when they are nine down and having to run off the field.” Warner urged selectors to stick with McSweeney regardless of his performances this summer, pointing to the likely retirement of Khawaja within two years. “We just have to be patient with all the guys coming through. Uzzy, touching on 38 now, has probably got another 12 to 18 months to go. They [Australia] have got a Sri Lankan series after this, which you’ll probably see Travis Head go up the order, and Cameron Green coming back,” Warner said.

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