Melbourne [Australia], August 17 : Following Australia's loss to Bangladesh at Darwin, Aussie head coach Andrew McDonald acknowledged a lack of runs from their number three batter Marnus Labuschagne, saying that the batter is "lacking runs" and needs some big scores under his belt.
Marnus's search for the first Test ton since Ashes 2023 continued as he could score just 1 and 31 against Bangladesh at Darwin. Marnus's failure to convert his start into something big in the second innings contributed to a lack of runs in the hands of Australia to defend in the second innings, as they could muster only a 56-run lead in the second innings courtesy of a Cameron Green masterclass. The Asian side chased down the total without breaking a sweat, getting their first win Down Under.
Since his final Test ton against England during the Ashes tour to the UK in 2023, Marnus has been averaging 25.23 in Tests, having made just 959 runs across 42 innings, with only nine fifties to his name, with a best score of 90. Patches of brilliance have been there, but with a series against Bangladesh at stake, time seems to be running out for Australia's premier number three.
McDonald acknowledged Labuschagne needs runs despite the progress he made in the second innings, saying that while he was looking good, it was "ultimately just 31".
"We want runs is the bottom line," McDonald said as quoted by Cricinfo. "I think it was 31 he got in the second innings, and up until the point he got out, you'd sit there and say he was looking good."
"He was moving well, he is clipping off his pads, he was getting back through the ball down the ground. So it's easy for me to sit here and try to defend that, but ultimately it's 31. It is not a big score. He has lacked runs. He feels that. We feel that. We are working incredibly hard as a coaching group."
"It is one thing to talk about the player. You have got to talk about coaching. We have got to get the best out of Marn as well. And we are working through that," he continued.
McDonald hailed the changes were witnessed in the way Marnus batted and it was good, he acknowledged that some of the work he did felt that he was stuck under pressure.
"I think we saw some change in the way that he played, so that is good. So some of that work that he had done feels as though it is stuck under pressure, and that is always a hard part too. You can try to make these changes, and then when you get put under extreme pressure in the middle, sometimes those changes do not hold. So it was good to see them hold up," he said.
"But it is 31. He's disappointed of that missed opportunity. He needs some big runs," he signed off.
With a series win in sight, Bangladesh will play the second Test at Mackay from August 22 onwards. Australia is still at the top of the World Test Championship (WTC), but a big shake up could happen if fourth-placed Bangladesh win the series, especially with a clean sweep.