'If you're not scoring runs, you're going to be under the spotlight' - Justin Langer shares blunt opinion on Marnus Labuschagne's future
"Marnus is a 50-Test player. He's been the best player in the world. He still averages (46.19)," Langer said.
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Marnus Labuschagne's form in recent years has been a major concern for Australia. The former No. 1 batter in Test cricket is averaging just 31 since 2021 in the longest format of the game. He moved up the batting order to open alongside Usman Khawaja in the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa last week as Australia wanted Cameron Green in the playing XI. However, the experienced right-handed batter could only manage scores of 17 and 22.
Former Australia opener Justin Langer feels that dropping the out-of-form batter from the side would hinder the development of future Test team batters.
"Marnus is a 50-Test player. He's been the best player in the world. He still averages (46.19). All players go through it. If you're not scoring runs, you're going to be under the spotlight. But all of a sudden David Warner leaves. And then Usman Khawaja leaves. And then Steve Smith. If Marnus isn't playing well, you've got a huge gap there because Travis Head bats down the order," said Langer to the media in Perth.
"So he's actually a very, very important link in this chain here. If I was the Australian team, I'd be focusing – and I'm sure they are – all their attention on getting Marnus to come good in however that is," the Lucknow Super Giants' head coach added.
You can't just bring them in an Ashes series: Langer
Langer recalled how youngsters that have come into the Australian team over the years have been surrounded by experienced cricketers. He mentioned the example of Michael Clarke, who made his Test debut in Bengaluru in 2004, with stalwarts like Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn, and Matthew Hayden already in the setup.
"You think about the history of Australian cricket. The best young players come in surrounded by absolute guns. Michael Clarke, Ricky Ponting, Damien Martyn and Matthew Hayden. They come in and they're around gun players," Langer said.
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Langer also expressed his concerns about the potential of the young players who are coming into the Australian side. He said that youngsters like Sam Konstas are not averaging close to 50 in first-class cricket. The 54-year-old said that it isn't a wise move to pick inexperienced youngsters for important assignments like the Ashes.
"If you just all of a sudden bring a couple of kids in, Cameron Green's still young to the game. And you have to bring another kid in there (to replace Labuschagne). Sam Konstas, he played a few Tests, right? I think he's only got two first-class hundreds at the moment. And they were both in the same game," Langer noted.
"I say this with absolute respect, but these new guys coming in, they're not averaging 50 (in first-class cricket). These other guys coming through, you've got to be smacking the door down. You can't just bring them in an Ashes series," he concluded.
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