The narrative around Marnus Labuschagne has shifted in recent days, with a number of cricket commentators applying the blowtorch to selectors and taking some of the blame away from the player himself. After a duck in the first dig of the third Test in South Africa, Labuschagne broke a 133-year Aussie record for the most innings in a row without a Test ton.
Alick Bannerman had held the unwanted record since 1893 with 47 consecutive innings without a century. But Labuschagne overtook him with 48 in a row on Wednesday.
With Matt Renshaw and Josh Inglis batting so well and Steve Smith set to return, it’s hard to see Labuschagne holding his spot come the first Test against New Zealand in December. But there’s been a shift in recent days that has seen selectors receive the brunt of the blame for putting Labuschagne in this position.
The 32-year-old was briefly dropped for the West Indies tour in mid-2025, but came straight back in for the Aussie summer against England due to a weight of runs for Queensland. It meant Labuschagne wasn’t really forced to fix the underlying issues and was thrust straight back into the spotlight in the Ashes.
Former Test opener Simon Katich said selectors had done Labuschagne a disservice by not holding him out the team for longer. “That’s the pressure the Australian selectors have put him under for an extended period of time,” Katich said on SEN after his duck in Cape Town.
“They deserve to be in the same situation as him here. They put him in this position by not making the decision to give him a breather. I feel for him. I’ve been through it and it is not pleasant.”
Marnus Labuschagne is horribly out of form, but is it his failt? (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/Getty Images)
Leading commentator Adam Collins described it as a “desperately sad” situation for a player that was the World No.1 batter just three years ago. “He’s now damaged goods,” Collins said on the ‘Final Word’ cricket podcast.
“I feel sadness for him that they didn’t detect that they had to get him out of the firing line. They had the opportunity to say ‘you’re not coming to South Africa but we’d love to have you fit and firing for England (in 2027)’. And they could have given him a whole summer away from all of this circus.
“International cricket is so highly scrutinised, whereas domestic cricket never will be. They missed their perfect opportunity. It didn’t need to be this way.”