NewKerala.com

Key Points

Former Australian captain Tim Paine has strongly backed under-fire batsmen Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne despite their poor showing in the WTC final. He argued that world-class players shouldn't be judged on one bad performance, especially with the Ashes looming. Paine pointed to Khawaja being Australia's top scorer in the WTC cycle as proof of his quality. The ex-skipper also warned against repeating the Warner situation where Australia struggled to replace a retired great.

Key Points: Tim Paine Backs Khawaja Labuschagne Despite WTC Final Failure

  • Paine defends Khawaja and Labuschagne despite WTC failure
  • Khawaja was top scorer in WTC cycle
  • Labuschagne's average dropped to 46.19
  • Warner's retirement cited as cautionary example
3 min read

Ex-Aussie skipper backs Khawaja, Labuschagne despite WTC final failure, says quality players cannot be dumped

Former Aussie skipper Tim Paine defends Khawaja and Labuschagne after WTC flop, says quality players can't be dropped after one bad Test.

"Great players are hard to replace - Tim Paine"

Melbourne, June 16

Former Australian skipper Tim Paine has backed under-fire top-order batters Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, saying that players like them cannot be "dumped" after one bad Test, and he sees them doing well during the tour of West Indies starting from June 25 onwards.

During the WTC final, both Khawaja (0 and 6) and Labuschagne (17 and 20) failed to score big as Australia faced a crushing defeat to South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's. Labuschagne was promoted to the opening spot, with Cameron Green taking up the number three spot and Steve Smith batting at four. This new-look top three's failure played a huge role in the Aussies' defeat and has sparked selection debates ahead of the WI tour of three Tests, with teen opener Sam Konstas on the fringes after an outrageous debut fifty against India.

While Khawaja's failure was a rare one, as he finished as the side's top run-getter in the WTC cycle 2023-25 with 1,428 runs in 20 matches, along with two tons and six fifties, Marnus' performance in the competition was horrendous, scoring 974 runs in 20 matches with a century and eight fifties at an average of just 27.82, causing his overall batting average to decline to 46.19. Khawaja, at 38, does not have age on his side as during December this year, he will be turning 39 during the home Ashes series.

Despite the shambolic performance by the top order, Paine is not disturbed, saying, as quoted by SEN, "They are good players, they are world class. .

"Steve Smith's (finger) injury means he would not play in the Windies first Test, so Konstas comes in and Marnus drops back. We have heard them say that when they have the spin pitches, Travis Head would slide up and Marnus down."

"I see them going to the Windies and playing well and getting ready for a huge Ashes series. Usman and Marnus will play really, really important roles in the Ashes. We are very quick in this country to move on players, we always want to see if the grass is greener."'

Paine said that over the last 18 months, it has been realised that quality players are extremely hard to replace, using the now-retired David Warner as an example.

"Look at Dave Warner - one of our best cricketers - six months before he retired, people said he has got to go (and now) two years down the track, we still have not replaced him. You do not just have a bad Test in England and dump people like Uz and Marnus. They are a huge part of the team for the next year at least. With England coming out here, these high-quality players don't grow on trees. Great players are hard to replace," he concluded.

- ANI

Share this article:

Reader Comments

R
Rahul K.
Completely agree with Paine here! Khawaja has been Australia's rock in Tests recently. One bad match doesn't define a player's career. As Indian fans, we know this well - even legends like Dravid had rough patches. Hope they bounce back strong! 🇦🇺🏏
P
Priya M.
Interesting debate! But Labuschagne's average has been declining sharply - 27 in WTC cycle is worrying. Maybe they should give young talent like Konstas a proper chance? We Indians always support giving youngsters opportunities (like Gill, Jaiswal). Youth + experience is perfect balance!
A
Arjun S.
As a cricket crazy Indian, I must say Aussies are lucky to have such depth in batting. Imagine if our top order failed in a final - the whole country would go mad! 😅 Paine is right though - form is temporary, class is permanent. Both will come good in Windies.
N
Neha T.
Khawaja at 38 is still performing - shows age is just a number! Reminds me of our own Dravid and Laxman who played crucial roles till late 30s. But Australia should start planning transition - maybe phase out one player at a time rather than sudden changes.
V
Vikram J.
Respectfully disagree with Paine here. Labuschagne's technical flaws against moving ball are getting exposed. He's no longer the same batsman who dominated in 2019-21. Sometimes you need to make tough calls - just like we dropped Pujara when he stopped performing consistently.
S
Sunita R.
The real issue is Australia's batting collapses in big matches - happened in WTC final against India too! Maybe they need to work on mental toughness like our team did under Dravid's coaching. Hope they sort it out before Ashes - want to see competitive cricket! 🤞

We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.

Leave a Comment

Minimum 50 characters 0/50