Cricket 2026: Marnus Labuschagne interview after being picked for Australia tour of South Africa, will he be dropped from Test team, why he’s struggling, latest news
Labuschagne facing axe after Bangladesh | 01:06
Courtney Walsh from Fox SportsSeptember 8th, 2026 6:00 am
It was an act borne of frustration, a release of emotion more than 12 months in the making, the moment in Mackay where Marnus Labuschagne signalled enough was enough.
As commentators pondered with grave voices what his most recent dismissal against Bangladesh meant for his future, noting that when your luck is out, it really runs dry, the Queenslander tore into the thigh pad that had contributed to his wicket.
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The look of disbelief on Labuschagne’s face
The look of disbelief on Labuschagne’s face as he assessed his dismissal in Mackay – a delivery from Shoriful Islam clipped the bottom of his thigh pad and cut back to hit the stumps instead of sliding to fine leg – matched those watching.
It was unlucky. But the 32-year-old had endured a gutful of the misfortune that has plagued him in recent times, with a run of outs putting his place in peril before Monday’s show of faith from selectors who included him in the South Africa tour.
Labuschagne is a man of faith. But this required direct, not divine, intervention. He pulled out the knife and hacked into the thigh pad that had ruined his most recent Test innings, noting in an interview at the SCG on Monday it came “straight off”.
I think it was just a whole lot
“I think it was just a whole lot of frustration, right? The build up of … probably the last year kind of came to that moment,” he told foxsports.com.au.
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It is more than three years since Labuschagne,
It is more than three years since Labuschagne, who was once ranked the world’s top Test batter, has made a century and his lean run with the willow has been the subject of much discussion as debate raged as to the merits of his spot in the side.
Labuschagne, who is the incumbent No.3, felt he performed reasonably in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series at home in 2024-25 but was dropped in the Caribbean last year before earning a recall for the Ashes based on strong domestic form.
He has flirted with form since, making some bright starts and looking good at the crease, only to fall short of “nailing it”.
It was a similar case against Bangladesh
It was a similar case against Bangladesh as well, with Labuschagne looking good in the second innings in Darwin before, well, what happened in Mackay.
“I think I’ve got out like that before, but certainly not in any major cricket. But I think it is part of the game,” he said.
“Certainly people talk about when I was at my best, I had a lot of lucky options and things, catches (dropped), and you have got to take the good with the bad. (But) it certainly was very disappointing.
The Queenslander is a realist
The Queenslander is a realist. He was well and truly aware his place is in peril. It is hard not to be when analysts as renowned as former Australian captain Ricky Ponting declare your spot is “almost untenable”.
But he also knows the rub of the green fell his way in the infancy of his career when he made the most of second and third chances at the crease to cement his spot.
Swings and roundabouts are a part of an athletes career and he hopes that on his next visit to the crease, the pendulum swings in his favour once again and he is able to capitalise in the highly-anticipated series beginning in Durban on October 9.
To feel like I played really well
“To feel like I played really well in Darwin and missed a straight ball (when I) should have gone on with it – I had a good opportunity there – and to then go there and kind of get out that way and it only be a one innings game, you know, you’d always feel pretty disappointed,” he said.
“But it is a good opportunity now that I am going to Africa. Obviously it doesn’t mean I’m selected yet, but it means that I’ll be there (and) I’ll be ready for the opportunity when it comes.”
The tone of caution is understandable for a man with 11 Test centuries but none since the 2023 Ashes.
Labuschagne’s interview followed an earlier press conference featuring
Labuschagne’s interview followed an earlier press conference featuring Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey after the squad for the three Test tour of South Africa was confirmed and the point he made was clear – the Queenslander is the incumbent, but it does not necessarily mean he is guaranteed selection, or that he will continue to bat at No.3.
“I appreciate the interest in it (but) we’ll get a much clearer picture of what that XI looks like once we get over there,” Bailey said.
“(We’re) not shying away from the fact that we’d like some more runs from Marn. That’s clear. But we’re also confident he can still make a positive contribution to that squad.”
“Downfall for the last 25 Test matches” | 01:35
Ponting is far from alone in his critiques
Ponting is far from alone in his critiques of Labuschagne. He believes the star has made it to easy for opposition bowlers to peg him due to his struggle to score off the back foot and was offering them to great a “margin for error” to bowl to.
Labuschagne acknowledges he has been making errors and become too anxious at the crease at times. This has either led to a period where he is mired at the crease and struggling to score, or a muddle-minded shot when he is set and looking good.
He believes the errors he has made at the crease stem from straying “from the process” and becoming anxious to score, rather than relaxing and understanding that what had served him well in the past was the best path to follow.
I think when you’re feeling your best, you’re
“I think when you’re feeling your best, you’re walking out there with confidence because you’re trusting that there’s nothing this bowler can do to get you out,” he said.
“Now on the flip side, when you’re not batting as well, you’re thinking about the negatives. You’re thinking about a lot of different things instead of zoning into that one space, which is, like, ‘this ball’, or concentrating on ‘this game’.
“So I think that’s sort of the moments that you reflect on and you go, ‘Wow. Okay. You’re not there.’ But that’s where you want to get to, right? You want to make sure that you know you get to that confidence state.
My next innings in South Africa, you know,
“My next innings in South Africa, you know, you’re going to be nervous. You’re going to have that element of fear and everything, but you’ve got to find a way to deal with that. And most innings have those moments.
“But I mean, when you’re not going as well as you want to, that’s when they stand out a little bit more. And you’ve just got to work your way through that as a player and get back to that process base, which you know ends in runs.”
Marnus survives as test squad revealed | 02:46
The clock is ticking. Labuschagne knows that he needs to score runs to continue a fine career that began at a time of crisis for Australian cricket when he was brought into the squad following the disaster that unfolded on the last tour of South Africa.
He also believes it is fitting
He also believes it is fitting that his strive to survive and succeed comes in the nation of his birth, with the 65 Test veteran branding it the ideal opportunity to demonstrate that he retains the ability to excel for Australia.
“I’m excited,” he said.
“Whenever you’re on that cusp of, you know, like you know that you’re vulnerable to be potentially dropped, it’s always nice when it goes your way, and you feel like you’re really ready for that next opportunity to go back to Africa.
“I think it’s quite fitting, (with) the situation we’re in now obviously, with me sort of at the point where it’s like, ‘Okay, you know, Marnus really needs to step up and score runs’, and (with us) getting to go back to South Africa.
It’s all boiling up to a nice, really
“It’s all boiling up to a nice, really interesting point. I think it’s exciting for me and I think that’s where you want to be as a player. You want to relish the next moments that are ahead.
“But … I think, really, it’s an amazing journey for a kid that was born in … Klerksdorp near Potch (Potchefstroom), to go back there and get ready for a Test series, it’s going to be awesome and it’s something that … you certainly look forward to. And it’s one of those ones where you … want that challenge, you want that opportunity.”
Source: www.foxsports.com.au
