Australia chair selector George Bailey has backed a struggling Marnus Labuschagne as he has been included in the 16-man squad for the South African tour.
'Australia chair selector George Bailey has backed a struggling Marnus Labuschagne to make a ‘positive contribution’ in the upcoming Test series against South Africa, despite having a lean time in the drawn 1-1 series against Bangladesh.
Labuschagne hasn’t scored a century in Tests for nearly three years and was recently axed from the ODI team. But the Bailey-led selection panel has opted to stick with the right-hander for the Tests against South Africa starting in Durban on October 9.
"We're not shying away from the fact that we'd like some more runs from 'Marn'. That's clear, but we're also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad. I think Marn will continue to prepare and refine how he will prepare for this series.
“There's potentially a simplification or an ability to focus purely on red-ball cricket for him in the fact that he won't be in the one-day series leading up to it. So that may be a benefit. I'm not sure around that. He'll prepare incredibly well, and specifically for this tour. In that squad of 16, I'm confident that he can still make a positive contribution," Bailey told reporters on Monday.
