Former pacer Mitchell Johnson reckons that Australia should drop out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne from the playing XI for the day-night Adelaide Test against India, starting on December 6.
Labuschagne struggled during his painstaking knock of two (52 balls) in the first innings and 5-ball three in the second essay during the Perth Test.
“Marnus Labuschagne — after a lengthy poor run with the bat — should be replaced for the second Test in Adelaide. And that’s not for the sake of having someone pay the price for the thrashing in Perth,” Johnson said in Nightly.
Johnson said it will help Labuschagne to go back to domestic cricket and rediscover his form.
“It (dropping) would give him a chance to play some Sheffield Shield and club cricket away from the pressure of playing for your country. I feel he would benefit from that more than going out there trying to survive against Jasprit Bumrah and co.,” he added.
Johnson said dropping Labuschagne, who has collected 4119 runs at an average of 48 from 51 Tests, should not be viewed as the end of the road for the top-order batter.
“In his past 10 Test innings, he’s passed 10 just once. He’s trying to fight through it in the middle but it’s not currently working. Dropping Labuschagne, 30, would not mean he doesn’t still have a long future in the Test team or that he’s the wrong player to bat at three.
“For the time being in this form slump though, we need him to be better — which means making big runs, not bowling bouncers and risking the potential of injury when that’s the job of the bowlers in the team,” he added.
Johnson was referring to Labuschagne getting used as a back-up seamer after injury concerns to all-rounder Mitchell Marsh at Perth.
Johnson, who took 313 wickets with his left-arm pace and made 2065 runs from 73 Tests, said veteran batter Steve Smith too looked jaded.
“Steve Smith’s form is a serious concern. He looks like he has lost his sharpness we are used to, missing balls on his pads that in the past were easy runs,” he added.
