WTC final 2025: Khawaja, Labuschagne backed by Aussies despite craptastic performances

Australia failed to defend their World Test Championship title in the final against South Africa at Lord's, and one of the many reasons that saw this drubbing for the former champions was the failure from the top-order, especially the new opening pair of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. Notably, it was the first time since 2010 that Australia lost an ICC final.

Both Labuschagne and Khawaja might have scored some important runs for Australia in the past, but their performances in the match where it was required the most were underwhelming. While Khawaja got dismissed for low scores of 0 (20) and 6 (23) in the game, Labuschagne, despite looking good at the crease, had gifted his wickets away with loose shots in both innings. The future of the two talented players has now come under scrutiny, but head coach Andrew McDonald has still backed the duo, citing they still play an important role in the side.

“He’s (Labuschagne) a big part of the future of the team. Anyone that averages 45 or 46 in Test cricket at that age is important. We’ve got older players who are closer to the end than the start. We’ve got some younger players that are coming in, and you definitely want those guys that have, I think, 60-odd Test matches. If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order. But at the moment, he’d be disappointed with the returns,” McDonald told as per Fox Cricket.

“He’s missed out on big scores. He threatened at the MCG (when he) got a pair of 70s, and, you know, if they had been a pair of hundreds, the conversation shifts as well. But we’re confident that he could return to his best, and hence (that is) why we keep picking him. It is at what point do we stop picking him?” the Australian coach put further.

Khawaja has got plenty of runs in him: McDonald

On the other hand, the form of Khawaja has not been consistent, as the experienced batter has failed to get some praiseworthy runs under his belt of late. Fans believe that the 39-year-old should retire from the game. However, McDonald has still backed the left-handed elegant batter, saying that he still has plenty of runs left in him. He also compared the Pakistan-born with his ex-opening partner and legendary batter David Warner.

“He's on contract, he's an important player. He gives us stability at his best at the top. And we like to look at our players at their best. No doubt, a couple of failures here, and people then start to talk about maybe it's the end. I don't see an end date with the way he's training, the way he's preparing, the way he's moving,” he said.

“He went back to Shield cricket, got 100 last [season]. So I think he's got plenty of runs left in him. It'll come down to his inner drive and the way he prepares. It was a bit the same with Davey [David Warner] as well. The way he moved, we saw some positives in that. We knew that the runs were around the corner. We feel as though Usman's got a big part to play,” the former Australia all-rounder concluded.