Ricky Ponting and Shane Watson want Marcus Stoinis to make way for Glenn Maxwell for Australia’s semi-final against South Africa in Kolkata, arguing that Marnus Labuschagne’s Test match batting skills may be vital in a knockout game.
Maxwell will return to the side after resting from the final qualifying game against Bangladesh in Pune, meaning someone must drop out for the showdown with the Proteas at Eden Gardens.
Marnus Labuschagne runs out Mahmadullah.Credit: Getty
On commentary during Australia’s chase, former Australian captain Ponting revealed that Labuschagne was going to be dropped if Steve Smith had been fit for the Afghanistan game, which he missed through vertigo.
While Stoinis is an impact player and a popular member of the white-ball set-up, Labuschagne has performed at every juncture to force his way into the World Cup squad and then make himself useful during a gruelling nine games.
Though he did not bat against Bangladesh, Labuschagne manufactured a pair of runouts at key times to ensure Australia’s target would be manageable. He has also been among the team’s most consistent contributors with the bat.
“If Steve Smith had passed his fitness test, which he didn’t, then Labuschagne was the one missing out and Stoinis was staying in the side,” Ponting said. “So I think at the moment Australia feel that is their strongest team, without Labuschagne in it.
“But if you actually look at the numbers through this series, he hasn’t done a bad job, second leading run scorer … and I know the most important phase for Australia through this tournament they haven’t got right yet is their middle order batting. They haven’t got that right and they need to fix that quickly.
“If you’re going to win the World Cup, you’re going to have to fix those overs 11 to 40, because so far in the tournament they’ve lost 12 more wickets in that period of time in the tournament than what India have through the whole tournament, India have only lost 20 wickets through that phase. I probably would [retain Labuschagne]. I mean even today we’ve seen Australia have gone to Mitchell Marsh’s bowling before they used Stoinis.”
On the same theme, ex-Australian all-rounder Watson argued that Labuschagne’s skills against the moving ball would be vital should Australia have to bowl first against South Africa.
The early overs under lights have been consistently the toughest for batters in the tournament, but Labuschagne has coped as well as anyone at key times against the Proteas, Sri Lanka and even Afghanistan before he was unfortunate to be run out.
“He’s someone who has done a very good job for Australia throughout this World Cup, and as well Marcus Stoinis hasn’t set this World Cup alight yet,” Watson said. “What we’ve seen in this World Cup, is if Australia end up batting second in a semi-final, that period with those two new balls swinging around, you do need your best technically equipped batters who can handle that moving ball.
“Marnus Labuschagne, with the Test skills, he’s got the ability to be able to handle a moving ball. There is a chance that Australia will have to bat second under lights, and he’s done a very good job of that throughout this tournament.”
Labuschagne has played 18 consecutive games for Australia dating back to the start of the ODI series in South Africa where he came in as a concussion substitute for Cameron Green and promptly won the game in a difficult chase.
He has since retained his spot via injuries of various kinds to Travis Head, Ashton Agar, Stoinis, Maxwell and Smith. The selectors must now decide, with elimination on the line, whether to choose Labuschagne outright.
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