Marnus Labuschagne unsure about Australia’s test opener ahead of the India series by saying it is “anyone’s guess”.
Marnus Labuschagne believes Australia have not come close to finding the answer to who will be Australia’s test opener alongside Usman Khawaja.
However, he did confirm that Steve Smith is not the one after his guaranteed switch back to No. 4 for the India series.
Smith claimed Test opener Usman Khawaja and No. 3 Labuschagne made it apparent that they wanted him to bat behind them when he ended his opening experiment this week.
“They hated me up top…so that was a big part of it,” Smith said. “They call it security behind them – I don’t know, ask them about it. Honestly, I’m not that fussed. They didn’t like it at all…I can understand that.”
Smith’s return to the role he excelled at for the majority of his career, according to Labuschagne, was not difficult.
“One of the best players for Australia batting in the position he has had the most success in is a pretty simple fix,” he said. “Cameron Green is unavailable for the summer. There is no one batting at No. 4 as we currently stand in our team. Why not have the person who has done it best for Australia batting in that position? It just makes sense.
“People want to know if there is something more [to it], but that is the reality.”
Labuschagne added Smith was naturally suited to the spot.
“I think it is his ability to read match scenarios and adapt his game to whatever the game needs,” he said. “At No. 4 you have to be good at playing spin. Work on when you need to push, when you need to hold. When you need to get through a tough spell. That has always been his strength.”
When Labuschagne read that David Warner had offered to come out of retirement to open if asked, he claimed he chuckled.
“I don’t know if he was serious or whether he was joking. It is always hard to tell,” he chuckled. “I don’t know what to make of that.”
The three specialist openers in contention. Victorian opener Marcus Harris, Western Australia’s unexpectedly unproductive Cameron Bancroft, and New South Wales teenager Sam Konstas. They will all play for Australia A against India A the following week.