‘Part of the job’: Marnus shrugs off criticism ahead of crucial tour
Marnus Labuschagne understands he has opened the door for criticism, but the struggling Australian batsman is determined to silence the doubters.
It has been over three years since Labuschagne last scored a Test century, with many calling for the right-hander to be axed for the South Africa tour.
Marnus Labuschagne is ready to silence doubters. Getty Images
Labuschagne’s poor run of form has already cost him a spot in Australia’s men’s ODI squad and despite scoring runs at Sheffield Shield level and playing all five Ashes matches last summer, his future in the red-ball lineup is clouded.
Australian great Mark Taylor could not overlook the “real problem” Labuschagne has created for the Test team due to his struggling form, but there were no strong candidates identified as an obvious replacement for the 32-year-old.
Labuschagne knows most will continue to criticise his Test results against Bangladesh, where he scored 1 and 31, but that noise is not bothering him.
“Criticism is part of the job,” he told media on Thursday.
“You can’t be sitting here going ‘I’m upset because people are criticising me’. No one is criticising my character or my personality or who I am and what I stand for. They’re criticising my performance, and I’m the one who’s allowed that; because of the lack of performance, I’ve opened myself up to criticism.
“There’s clearly a reason why I’m still there, and I think the people who are in charge know that and know what I’ve done in the past for Australia.
“How I’ve performed the past two years is clearly not my standard and where I want to be. I’m doing everything possible to make sure I get back there during this series in South Africa.”
Labuschagne is working closely with new Queensland coach James Hopes to ensure he gets the ideal preparation time for the South Africa tour.
He admits that while he is disappointed to miss out on an ODI spot against Zimbabwe, the external noise isn’t on his mind.
“Last year I showed I’m playing very good domestic one-day cricket,” Labuschagne added ahead of Queensland’s clash with Victoria on Sunday.
“Out here, I want to score as many runs as I can, and any runs you score is going to be good for your confidence and get me into a really good space going into South Africa, regardless of the format.”
