Marnus Labuschagne handed Queensland captaincy as he looks to arrest a form slump
- Has fought for runs in all forms of cricket
- Will skipper Queensland in final Marsh Cup match
- Teammate believes time at center will help him
Marnus Labuschagne will get the chance to showcase his captaincy on Wednesday when he leads Queensland at senior level for the first time in a one-day match.
The Australian star will also play a Sheffield Shield match in Adelaide on Friday as he attempts to rediscover his best form ahead of Australia’s Test tour of New Zealand later this month.
Labuschagne was named captain in Queensland’s final Marsh Cup match against South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval on Wednesday in the absence of Bulls skipper Usman Khawaja and his usual deputy Jimmy Peirson, who is battling a knee problem ahead of the Shield match.
Khawaja is unlikely to make the trip to Adelaide for the Shield match as he will be given time to rest before the New Zealand tour.
The added responsibility comes as Labuschagne looks to turn around a disappointing run of form in the Australian summer, having been on the verge of a slump with the bat by hitting a pair of half-centuries against Pakistan in Sydney before beating Western India would battle with scores of 10, 1*, 3 and 5 in the two Tests and 26 in his only innings during the ODI series.
Marnus Labuschagne will captain the Queensland Bulls in the final Marsh Cup match against South Australia
The Australian star has been struggling for form across all formats of cricket for a long time
Teammate Steve Smith believes time at center will help Labuschagne find his feet
Labuschagne’s fellow batting machine Steve Smith said the Queenslander “probably didn’t get the scores on the board that he would have wanted” at the end of the Test series and that any moment in the middle would help him regain form.
“I think as hitters we’re always looking for that perfection, and sometimes if you try that little bit too hard you just get a little further away,” Smith said.
“He’s definitely a thinker, maybe an over-thinker at times, whatever I’ve said to him.
“It’s about going to the basics, trusting yourself and doing all the work you want to do in the net. But when you’re in the middle, it’s about concentrating on the ball coming to you and making every plays the ball to you the best you can.”
All six state teams will play their final one-day matches on Wednesday, with the winner of the NSW-Victoria clash at the North Sydney Oval earning the right to host the Marsh Cup final.
Western Australia can rise from third place to second in the finals by beating Tasmania in Hobart.
All six teams will play without any other white-ball stars involved in the Australian T20 squad, but they will be available for the final, which takes place on Sunday, February 25.