Marnus Labuschagne’s lean run of form this summer has taken yet another nosedive in Melbourne, as questions over his spot at number three for Australia continue to arise.
The 31-year-old was dismissed twice inside the first four sessions of the Boxing Day Test, with an eye-watering 26 wickets falling by lunchtime on the second day.
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The MCG’s dicey pitch has disappointingly been a nightmare for all 22 players to work around with bat in hand, though the low returns of several Australian batters once more this series against England now sees the pressure of Labuschagne, among others, only rise.
19 balls after the morning session drinks break on day two, Labuschagne edged through to Joe Root at first slip — a close call that required the approval of the third umpire to confirm the ball had carried on the full.
Ultimately the right call was made upstairs to send the right-hander packing, but the outpouring of frustration from Labuschagne told onlookers just how much he felt was riding on that innings.
His eight runs in the second innings did little to add to his six in the first, finishing off his calendar year in very underwhelming and familiar fashion. So far this Ashes, he has 147 runs at an average of 24.85 with two half-centuries, though he is yet to reach 20 runs in each of his last five innings.
“It’s just that mode of dismissal again for Marnus Labuschagne,” Australian great David Warner said as his former teammate left the field of play.
“That’s the difference when you’ve got world-class bowling hitting that same handkerchief time and time again.
“It’s that angle that creates the bat plane to come down. He’ll be disappointed with himself, he’s been working hard on that.”
Fox Cricket expert Mark Waugh added: “They’re just trying to work over that off-stump line. He got a couple that bounced a bit, and he’s starting to square up a bit (and) that hip comes through.
“That means the bat comes across the body, rather than a straight line … (he’s) not sure whether to play or leave, he’s in two minds. That squaring up is a bit of an issue.”
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His decline in form comes as somewhat as a surprise, after an incredible spring at domestic level for Queensland which saw him pile on five hundreds before Australia’s Test summer even began.
It was the perfect resurrection for Labuschagne, who was dropped for the country’s three-Test series in the West Indies this winter after a continued run of poor form. His last Test century came 888 days ago in July of 2023 during the fourth Ashes Test at Manchester, having batted 37 times against the red-ball at international level since.
Expanding on Labuschagne’s dismissal on Fox Cricket’s ‘The Big Break’, Waugh said: “You’ve got to make up your mind if you want to play or leave it … he’s got to work on it, but it’s a tough place to work on it in the middle.”
“That was a poor shot that one (in the first innings). That one probably wasn’t technique, that was more mindset and a bit of a loose shot.”
Intriguingly, there is no obvious answer to replace him at number three, should he fail twice more with the bat in Sydney. But much like teammates Cameron Green and Jake Weatherald, there will be a lot on the line to start the trio’s 2026.
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