Marnus Labuschagne named captain of Queensland in the One-Day Cup after ODI axe
New Delhi, Sep 17
Australia's senior batter Marnus Labuschagne has been named captain of the Queensland side in the One-Day Cup following his removal from the ODI squad for the African tour.
Labuschagne was dropped from the ODI squad for the Zimbabwe and South Africa ODI series but kept his place for the Test series against the Proteas later, despite the slump in his form.
He will be leading the team for their clash against Victoria on Saturday and for the New South Wales game next Monday before the Test-bound players leave for the South Africa Tests.
The Aussie batter has been struggling for runs across formats, with his last international century dating back more than three years. His spot in Test cricket has been under scrutiny for quite some time now, as former captain Ricky Ponting questioned his place.
Labuschagne, whose Test career took off after the concussion-substitute innings of 59 in 2019, has not hit a Test century since the 2023 Ashes and has averaged 25.43 since then.
Speaking on his criticism, Labuschagne highlighted that he is doing everything possible to get back among runs. "Criticism, you bring (that) on yourself as a player because that's performance-based," Labuschagne told 7News. "I'm not getting criticised because of me as a person; they are criticising my performance, which in the last two years I have let happen. People that know me know that every single part of me is doing everything I can to get back to what my best looks like."
In a separate interaction with Code Sports, he emphasised that he is still the best to do the job at No.3 for the Aussies. "I still think I am the best person to bat at No. 3 for Australia. But if someone else offers a different opinion, that's up to them. That's their point of view," he said.
— IANS
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