By BBC (Sports) | Created at 2024-11-26 13:03:20 | Updated at 2024-11-26 15:26:10
2 hours ago
Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne has faced significant criticism after his side's opening-Test defeat against India in Perth.
The 30-year-old managed just five runs in the match, which is consistent with a negative trend over the past two years.
His dismissal in the second innings - attempting to leave a ball that came back in and trapped him lbw - has been described as "inexplicable"., external
His latest failures led Australian sports website CODE to suggest, external Labuschagne was "kissed by lady luck" at the start of his career and that he has "ruined himself".
BBC Sport, and data analysts CricViz, have looked at how Labuschagne's career is on a downward curve - and how Australia may act.
Across his past five Tests, dating back to January this year, Labuschagne has scored 123 runs at an average of 13.66.
There have been seven single-figure dismissals in that run and his average would be considerably lower but for an innings of 90 against New Zealand.
The decline has been going on for two years, with Labuschagne's average almost half of what it was in his opening 52 Test innings.
There is a notable change in his statistics - and perhaps his technique - before the start of the South Africa series in December 2022 and after it.
In the opening phase he averaged 54.77 against good-length deliveries from seamers.
That was the third-highest of any Test batter in that period after New Zealand duo Devon Conway and Henry Nicholls (minimum 500 good-length balls).
But since that South Africa series began, Labuschagne has averaged 15.33 against good-length deliveries, which is the third-lowest against that particular length (minimum 300 good-length balls).
He is also more vulnerable to balls in the channel outside off stump. In the first period, he averaged a world-leading 78.55, but that has dropped to 17.50 - the lowest in the world.
This could be related to a change in his foot movement early in his innings.
In the first period of his career, he played forward to 49% of the first 30 deliveries he faced and played 33% on the back foot. Those percentages have become 30 and 35 in the second phase of his career.
His interception point - where a batter makes contact with the ball on average - has actually come forward by 15cm, suggesting he is attempting to play the ball sooner, perhaps in an attempt to reduce the chances of being out lbw.
"You wouldn't be human if it didn’t affect you in some way, it affects some players more than others," said former Australia captain Steve Waugh on TNT Sports.
"Playing in club cricket should be an option for Marnus, just to get your feet going, get the ball out of the middle and just make you feel good about yourself."
England's Ashes-winning captain Michael Vaughan added: "The other school of thought for someone like Marnus Labuschagne - who is a big thinker of the game and from the outside looks like he might overcomplicate it a little bit - is just not pick up a bat for week. Go and switch off."
It is not just Labuschagne who is struggling in the Australia batting line-up though, with Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith and Travis Head all performing below their career average in the past eight Tests.
In that period Australia have been reduced to 16-4 against Pakistan, 54-4 by West Indies, 80-5 against New Zealand then 47-6 and 79-5 by India in Perth this week.
Head is the only player to have scored a century in that time, while Khawaja and Smith have gone 11 Tests without reaching the landmark.
It is unlikely Australia will make changes for the second Test, which begins in Adelaide on 6 December
Captain Pat Cummins said he would be "very surprised" if they did, and that he is "very confident these are the best 11 guys" in Australia.
When asked about Labuschagne, head coach Andrew McDonald said "at his best, he's the player we need".
Coming into the Test series, Australia effectively had a four-way shootout to open at the top of the order.
Smith opened after David Warner's retirement last winter, but he is back at number four in this series after Cameron Green required surgery on his back.
That led to Nathan McSweeney, who made his debut in Perth, battling with Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Sam Konstas in a warm-up game against Australia A.
Warner, who was part of the television coverage in the first Test, says depth is an issue for Australia.
"The issue is 'who is else there?' Who is coming through the state system?" he said.
"There's been some names - you've got Sam Konstas, you've got Henry Hunt - there are a few names there but there is nobody jumping out at me that is going to take these positions," he said.
Konstas is only 19, but averages 61.50 in the Sheffield Shield for New South Wales this season, while 27-year-old Hunt averages 37 for South Australia.
Harris, who has played 14 Tests for Australia, is going well with an average of 57.71, while Bancroft has been out of form but scored a century on Tuesday.
Ex-Australia head coach Darren Lehmann told ABC Sport: "I'm not going to be too critical. Smith and Labuschagne know more than anyone else that they need to make runs.
"I think Australia will keep the same XI for the next Test in Adelaide and it will not be an issue.
"It shouldn't be an issue - they should give them a couple of Tests and make an assessment from there. If it happened again in Adelaide I would have some concerns."
