Melbourne: Ahead of the pink ball Test between Australia and India at Adelaide, ICC Hall of Famer Ricky Ponting backed the right-hand batter Marnus Labuschagne despite a disappointing performance in the Perth Test and asked him to change his style of batting in order to come back to form in the ongoing Border-Gavaskar Trophy.
Labuschagne managed scores of 2 and 3 in the first Test against in Perth, as Australia crashed to a 295-run loss. It was the latest in a long line of lower scores for Labuschagne.
Having accumulated the third-most runs in the WTC 2021-23 cycle, the right-hand batter has managed just 658 runs in 13 Tests in the current cycle. He averages 13.66 across five Tests after his two half-centuries against Pakistan in early January this year. Ponting reiterated the need to back "champion" players but said Labuschagne needed to find his way out of the rut.
"I think you have to show faith in champion players. A lot of the guys that we're talking about in this team have been champion players. Maybe albeit not for a little while. I think I read somewhere the other day that Marnus is averaging 13 since January (after the Pakistan series) in Tests. So he's got to find a way to turn it around," Ponting said in the latest ICC Review episode.
A former No. 1 ranked batter in Tests, Labuschagne has been pivotal to Australia's recent success after his debut in the Ashes in 2019, averaging 48.45 in 51 Tests.
However, Ponting had concerns with his approach in the Perth Test.
"He was the one that looked most tentative to me out of all the batsmen in Perth. Yes, it was high-quality bowling. Yes, it was a difficult wicket to bat on. But when you're facing the best bowlers as a batsman, you have to take more risks," said Ponting.
Ponting urged the Australian batters, Labuschagne included, to focus on run-scoring rather than survival in the upcoming Tests. "I think that's going to be a great challenge for Marnus and co. this week. It's probably just letting go a little bit. Think about scoring runs first and not think about getting out first. There's only one way to change it, and that is to be positive and show great intent," he advised.
As the cricketing world eagerly awaits the second Test, all eyes will be on the Australian side to see if they can rise to the challenge and deliver a performance that aligns with Ponting's expectations.
The second Test, scheduled from December 6 to 10 at the Adelaide Oval, will feature the exciting day-night format under lights. The third Test will take place at The Gabba in Brisbane from December 14 to 18.
The iconic Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground will run from December 26 to 30, marking the penultimate match of the series. The fifth and final Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground, set for January 3 to 7, will bring the series to an exciting conclusion.