Will Australia stick with Marnus Labuschagne amid continuous failures?
What's the story
Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has defended Marnus Labuschagne after his disappointing performance in the World Test Championship final against South Africa.
In the match at Lord's, Labuschagne managed scores of just 17 and 22 as an opener as Australia lost by five wickets.
Despite averaging under 28 with the bat in the recently concluded WTC cycle, McDonald remains confident about Labuschagne's potential to bounce back.
Coach's confidence
'Labuschagne is a big part of the future'
McDonald stressed on Labuschagne's significance to the team's future, saying, "He's a big part of the future of the team."
He further added that anyone averaging 46 in Test cricket at Labuschagne's age is crucial.
The coach also mentioned that while there are older players nearing their end and younger ones coming in, they need experienced players with around 60 Test matches under their belt.
WTC
Terrible numbers in WTC 2023-25 cycle
As per ESPNcricinfo, Labuschagne averaged just 27.82 in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, having scored 974 runs from 20 matches.
This includes a solitary hundred and eight fifties across 36 innings.
No other Australian with 500-plus runs in this cycle, while operating in the top seven, has a sub-34 average.
Notably, Labuschagne averaged 72.82 and 52.53 in the 2019-21 and 2021-23 cycles, respectively.
He clocked 1,500-plus runs in both these editions.
Future prospects
'If he gets his game in order...'
McDonald expressed his hopes that if Labuschagne can get his game in order for the next five years, he could stabilize the batting order.
"We're confident he can return to his best, hence why we keep picking him. It's at what point do we stop picking him," said McDonald.
McDonald also recalled how well he played at the MCG where he scored a pair of 70s, hinting that if those had been hundreds, things would have been different.
Team's performance
Australia aren't a perfect team, admits McDonald
McDonald admitted that Australia aren't a perfect team and they couldn't find a way to win the World Test Championship final.
He said, "We haven't been across the journey - we've found ways to win, and unfortunately this time we couldn't conjure that up."
The coach's comments come as Australia prepares for an upcoming Test series against West Indies.