During Australia’s ODI series against South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne was a last-minute replacement who filled in for Cameron Green in the first ODI as a concussion replacement. Labuschagne, who was not selected for the World Cup preliminary squad, will now find his name among the first entries in the Australia XI during the competition in India due to his performances since then, though.
Labuschagne found his form in the Rajkot ODI, which his team won after losing the previous two games, as well as in the two victories Australia managed in South Africa before losing three straight. He also found form in India. Head coach Andrew McDonald noted regarding Labuschagne that he is “pretty much a lock in” among the top four Australian players for the World Cup.
“After being cut from and not included in the South African squad, it has been a pretty fantastic comeback. We were quite clear about how Marn should play for the squad, in our opinion. He left to work on it,” remarked McDonald. “I believe he may have gone into more detail about that a few days ago where he has left. After reflecting on it, he left and returned, a different player.
McDonald went on to explain why Labuschagne had been overlooked before and praised his outstanding work ethic for helping him battle his way back into the team with a little help from serendipity.
“He was receiving that knowledge. As I mentioned, he deserves all the credit. He has been away working on his game, and the tale is fantastic. If you’re trying to determine if he’s a certain starter, I’m not sure who else you’re going to start in his place if he’s not on your team. Therefore, I believe he is essentially a lock for that top four, and the last thing we need to decide is how to structure ourselves.
Marcus Stonis‘s availability for Australia’s first match is a concern, as the all-rounder is dealing with a hamstring issue. After initially pulling up sore, McDonald said that Adam Zampa is now good to go.
“Zampa isn’t as much of an issue. He manages his workload better. He did experience some little soreness from the second ODI game, though. Marcus Stoinis is a little unique. He currently has a minor hamstring ailment. He missed the practice matches because of this, and his status for the opening match against India is uncertain. Today is the main session, and tomorrow is the second round. He’ll finish his work there, and then we’ll evaluate if he’s fit and available for game one. At the time, he wasn’t for those practice games.
Labuschagne “McDonald
McDonald stated the following regarding Marcus Stoinis’ injury status: “That happened, after the Mohali game – he pulled up a little bit sore. A little hamstring (strain) was discovered after more investigation. After that, he is only rehabbing. He’ll be in the balance for game one, like I indicated. He hasn’t been completely ruled out, but we weren’t willing to take a chance in those exhibition games. Therefore, he has undoubtedly been cautious and has just played a little bit with the intention that the upcoming days would be crucial for him to push for selection for game one.
“Trav will provide us updates essentially every day. He is actively participating in the group. Official updates will probably occur around the 11th or 12th of October when there will be another checkpoint to see how he is progressing with the bone healing. That checkpoint will likely give us a lot more information about the final timelines and when he might be able to join the group. He will continue to workout and sort of prepare his body as much as he can at home till we learn that information.
McDonald expressed confidence in Maxwell’s continuing availability for the World Cup and expressed satisfaction with the way the player has improved thus far since his return. “So far, so good, yes. As I have mentioned, the manner he recovered from the Pakistan game was quite encouraging. And unlike some bilateral series, when it’s pretty compressed with quick turnarounds, we also have some decent pauses in between. You have a little more room and recovery time during a World Cup. Therefore, we believe that he will be able to handle the challenges that the World Cup will bring.