Mark Taylor: Labuschagne, Not Smith, Should Have Opened Following Warner’s Retirement
Former Australian captain and World Cup winner Mark Taylor believes Marnus Labuschagne, not Steve Smith, should have been promoted to the top of the batting order after David Warner’s retirement in January.
Smith, searching for a century since June, volunteered to open alongside Usman Khawaja after Warner stepped away. While Smith has been hot and cold at the new position, his scores of 31 and a duck in the first Test against New Zealand raise questions about the ideal batting order.
Labuschagne, meanwhile, has struggled for form, averaging only 24 runs this year without a century since July. Despite Labuschagne’s slump, Taylor believes he would have been a better fit at the top.
“I commend Steve for putting his hand up and saying, ‘I’ll be the one to move up,’” Taylor said on Nine’s Wide World of Sports. “It allowed Cameron Green to come back in at No. 4, and he played beautifully (scoring 174 not out).”
However, Taylor expressed his preference for Labuschagne: “I would’ve liked to see Marnus open. Steve has been our best batsman for a decade, and I think he should have stayed where he was. But Marnus wasn’t keen on opening.”
Smith is yet to shine in his new shoes, Labuschagne continues to struggle
While acknowledging Smith’s sacrifice for the team, Taylor highlighted the need for improvement in the lower middle order: “Ultimately, it might work out well for Australia, but the lower middle order needs to step up.”
The best of Steve Smith as an opener came in Gabba test against West Indies where he scored 94 runs not out, however, Australia went on to lose the match by a small margin.
Smith’s move to the top was met with controversy when Warner retired. Warner himself advocated for the inclusion of Marcus Harris while Australian cricket fraternity was hoping to see the return of Cameron Bancroft who had done well in domestic circuit prior to Warner’s exit.
Smith showed his willingness to open for Australia hence the decision was made by George Bailey, coaching staff and captain. Smith is yet to show best at the top but Labuschagne is having a real struggle in the middle-order.
