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After weeks of feverish debates, the biggest question in the Australian summer test was turned on its head.
Now it is not who Bats with David Warner, but who beats instead.
The 34-year-old and Cricket Australia will do everything in their power to ensure the kick-off is fit for the first Test in Adelaide on December 17th. However, preparations for the end of the world must take place behind the scenes. Coach Justin Langer gave the strongest hint on Monday night that Warner wouldn’t play yet.
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While D’Arcy Short has been named as Warner’s replacement for the three T20s, there is a mystery as to who will open the eyelashes in the third and final ODI on Wednesday.
Marnus Labuschagne quickly raised his hand and said: “We’ll wait and see how our team develops for the next game and how the team is balanced, but yes, I would like to.”
In this typical Happy-Go-Lucky answer from Labuschagne, Australia’s bigger riddle may have just been answered: Labuschagne could also be the perfect option to open the eyelashes in Adelaide.
Warner HOBBLES from SCG
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Of course, that doesn’t completely solve the problem. There would be a hole in # 3, but we’ll come back to that later.
If Warner is supposed to miss the start of the test series, Australia is suddenly at home with no 84 experience tests and an average contribution of 65.94. Whichever way you look at it, it’s a huge hole that needs to be filled.
Prior to Warner’s injury, there were two competitors and a certainty for Australia’s opening spots – Joe Burns and Will Pucovski were the former.
Since Warner may not be in the equation, logic dictates that competitors become certainties, but it’s not that simple. That Australia may have to replace a leading star instead of a struggling role-player changes the whole face of the problem.
Australia is no longer looking for a Robin, it needs a Batman.
Australia has rarely entered a test run without a real gun at the top of the leaderboard, and when it doesn’t, it has generally lost – think of the time between Matthew Hayden’s departure and Warner’s arrival, or more recently, the last time when India was on tour this shore.
This summer it comes down to Australia being genuinely ready to send out a Test debut and batsman on average at 11.40am this Sheffield Shield season against Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammad Shami with a new stone.
It’s a possibility, but it’s also a huge risk that Australia may not want to take.
This is where Labuschagne comes into play.
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Every big team in a sport needs a utilitarian for moments like this – and Labuschagne belongs to Australia.
In just 14 tests, he has beaten himself in five different positions, was the world’s first replacement for a concussion, scored runs in England and at home with and without Steve Smith.
He has not yet opened the batting for Australia, but if his gritty performances on bustling English fields have proven anything, it is that he has both the technique and the temperament to withstand the rigors of the new ball.
Additionally, he made 162 on the Adelaide day / night test last year after hitting the kink in just four minutes.
Opening an eyelash in a test is a daunting task – especially first time – but Labuschagne’s confidence is sky high after last summer when he scored three hundred, a double century, and an average of 112.00.
It’s also worth noting that Labuschagne made its world-class debut as an opener and hit next to none other than – you guessed it – Joe Burns.
As if he would; It’s hard to see a problem there. It feels like Labuschagne would beat 8th place if it meant wearing the baggy green again.
Now for the hole at # 3 it would create its height.
From the Chappell brothers to Allan Border and Mark Waugh, Pucovski has filled his corner with the who’s who of Australian cricket and asked him to open his eyelashes.
It makes sense based on the weight of the runs, but the Labuschagne workaround has been hiding in plain sight.
Pucovski was not originally an opener, nor did he appear only as a testing option based on his double double centuries at the top of Victorian order this season.
The 22-year-old had been on the selectors’ radar long before this, thanks to three centuries and a brace – # 3 – he’d already scored in world-class cricket.
Granted, a surge in order has produced amazing results so far this Shield season, but a test berth at its natural number 3 could ease some of the pressure to make its debut.
More importantly, it shares the responsibility of insuring one of Australia’s best players of the last decade, rather than throwing the entire burden on Pucovski.
Manager Justin Langer stated last week that batting an eyelash wasn’t Pucovski’s only path into the testing team, saying “If you can get into the top three in Shield Cricket you can beat for Australia anywhere in the order.”
Hurt a blessing to Burns
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Of course, it’s not the only option. It wouldn’t be fair not to mention Shaun Marsh, who lazily made 485 runs from 3rd place at 97:00 a.m. this Shield season.
Selectors have made it clear that its time for Australia is over, although it remains to be seen whether an injury crisis could change that.
Meanwhile, Burns is still high on the list as his stocks suddenly skyrocketed from his 21 experience tests in Warner’s absence.
Teammate from Queensland, Labuschagne supported him to take a leadership role at the start of the test series despite his slump in shape.
“Joe averaged (almost) 40 in test cricket so he’s well established and has four test hundreds – he’s a very good player,” said Labuschagne.
“Although he didn’t get the runs in Shield Cricket that he wanted, he won against Pakistan in the first test last summer (97) and negotiated this new ball period almost every time.
“So he’s not far from some big scores, and if he does get promoted to that senior opener role I think he’s the type of player who can.
“He’s done it many times for Queensland and a few times for Australia.”
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