After losing ODI spot, Marnus Labuschagne to captain Queensland
What's the story
Days after losing his ODI spot, Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has been named the Queensland skipper for the upcoming One-Day Cup. The tournament will kick off on Friday, with Western Australia taking on South Australia in Perth. Labuschagne's appointment comes ahead of his crucial Test series against South Africa, where his position in the team is uncertain after a string of poor performances.
Performance review
Labuschagne's poor form raises questions
Labuschagne's recent Test form has been underwhelming, with scores of 1, 31, and 4 against Bangladesh last month.
This has left him without a century in his last 43 innings and an average of just 25.43 since the end of the 2023 Ashes, according to Cricinfo.
Despite these struggles, he has been named in Australia's Test squad for the upcoming series against South Africa.
Criticism response
Criticism part of the game, says Labuschagne
Addressing the criticism over his performance, Labuschagne told 7News, "Criticism, you bring [that] on yourself as a player because that's performance-based."
He added that he is not criticized as a person but for his performance.
The batsman was recently left out of the ODI squad currently in Zimbabwe before heading to South Africa for three matches.
Past success
Run in One-Day Cup
Last season, Labuschagne was a standout performer in the One-Day Cup with 468 runs in six innings, including four tons, as per Cricinfo.
However, during his last ODI series against Bangladesh in June, he was demoted to No. 7 for one match.
George Bailey, Australia's chair of selectors, hinted that missing ODIs could help Labuschagne prepare for Tests.
Numbers
A look at his numbers
Since the start of 2024, Labuschagne has averaged just 21.87 in ODIs with an unbeaten 77 as his highest score.
The 32-year-old hasn't scored a Test century either in his last 43 innings. Even his last 50-plus Test score came in December 2025.
As of now, the right-handed batter has scored 1,980 runs from 72 ODIs at an average of 33.55, including two tons.