Staying Strong: Coach and Steve Smith Show Support for Marnus Labuschagne Amidst Form Struggles

Australia’s head coach, Andrew McDonald, has reassured Marnus Labuschagne that his position in the team remains secure despite a challenging spell with the bat.

The top-order batsman was the only member of the top five not to make an impact in the first Test against Sri Lanka, managing just 20 runs. Labuschagne has not registered a century since July 2023.

Speculation arose following a training session on Tuesday when Labuschagne did not bat with the primary group, leading to conjecture that he might be dropped for the second Test in Galle.

However, amidst the chatter surrounding the 30-year-old’s future, McDonald expressed strong support.

“No, there are no concerns from our side,” McDonald told SEN when questioned about Labuschagne’s state.

“The top six will likely remain unchanged, and possibly even extending that to the top seven, as they functioned well as a cohesive unit.

“We made a minor adjustment to the training session based on different workloads during the main session, so there’s nothing to read into that.

“We have full faith that Marnus is a capable player against spin; he’s performed well in the past and has even scored a century at this venue.

“Given how the unit operated in the first match, it’s hard to justify why we’d change that.”

Labuschagne has also garnered support from captain Steve Smith, with the first Test centurion expressing confidence in his teammate’s abilities despite the recent slump.

“He’s showing confidence. I believe he’s batting well,” Smith shared with the media.

“I felt he played quite nicely towards the conclusion of the summer; he seemed to be applying pressure on bowlers, adopting a proactive approach to his batting, and he looked good at the beginning of his innings (in the first Test). The delivery he faced actually turned quite a bit off (Jeffrey) Vandersay and caught the edge.

“He’s obviously disappointed for missing out in the last match, but he’s still batting well.”

The second Test is slated to commence on Thursday afternoon (AEDT).