The Australian selectors gambled by picking untested Marnus Labuschagne over in-form pair Shaun Marsh and Usman Khawaja, but last night he repaid their faith with his maiden ODI ton in South Africa.
With a calm knock of 108 from 108 balls, Labuschagne offered a rare highlight for the tourists as they were thumped by six wickets to lose this ODI series 3-0.
Australia’s batting lineup again underperformed, making just 7-254 batting first and leaving their bowlers vulnerable, although no one could blame Labuschagne.
It was a controversial decision in January to pick the Queenslander and ditch Marsh and Khawaja, who had carried Australia’s ODI batting lineup during the year-long ban to stars David Warner and Steve Smith.
From the start of those bans up to the point Marsh and Khawaja were dropped, the former made 877 runs at 49 in ODIs, while the latter made 1,089 runs at 49.
Khawaja’s lack of middle-order experience presumably contributed to his axing, while Marsh’s age probably worked against him. Labuschagne is 11 years younger. No doubt Labuschagne’s extraordinary Test form was a contributing factor, along with his good List A record.
Rather than trying to emulate the chaotic batting style of World Cup holders England, who cut loose from overs 1 to 50, Australia appear to be aiming for a more balanced approach, based on the selection of Labuschagne.
Their first-choice XI has a pair of aggressive openers in Warner and Finch, and middle order hitting power in the form of Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Marsh and Alex Carey. Sandwiched between those groups is the bedrock of the batting lineup – Smith and Labuschagne.
Australia will hope at least one of that pair bats deep into the innings every ODI to allow others to take on the game around them. Do-or-die World Cup matches are rarely high-scoring affairs and Australia probably feel the tight techniques and unflappable temperaments of Smith and Labuschagne will glue their top seven together under pressure.
Last night’s ODI in Potchefstroom was hardly a high-stakes encounter – it was a dead rubber in a random bi-lateral series. Even still, Labuschagne constructed the kind of innings he was picked to play.
With his team in peril, after the early wickets of Warner, Smith and then Finch, the 25-year-old put out this fire and then slowly lit his own.
As Labuschagne sought to halt the charge of the home side, he crept to 25 from 43 balls. Now well set, and with SA’s momentum stalled, he took the game on cracking 83 from his final 65 balls.
As in Test cricket, Labuschagne looked equally comfortable against pace or spin, pierced the gaps expertly, ran hard between wickets, and picked the correct moments to attack or defend.
It was not a spectacular ODI innings. Australia won’t get many of those out of Labuschagne or Smith. Achieving the spectacular will be left to the likes of Warner, Finch and Maxwell. Instead it was an assured and well-paced knock, the kind that acts as the backbone of a team innings.
“Everything the light touches is yours”. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)
Of course, such knocks must be complemented by more dynamic performances. Last night Labuschagne lacked for allies. Finch (22), Smith (20), Marsh (32) and D’Arcy Short (36) all frittered away good starts, while Alex Carey finished his poor tour of SA with a duck, and Warner (4) was undone by a fantastic delivery by express quick Anrich Nortje (2-35).
After bowling tidily and fielding exceptionally well, SA was well served by its very green batting lineup. Three members of their top five were rookies – Janneman Malan (3 ODIs), JJ Smuts (5) and Kyle Verrynne (3).
Yet they showed no signs of inexperience as they guided the Proteas to an easy six-wicket win with 27 balls in hand. Smuts (84), Verrynne (50), and Heinrich Klaasen (68*) bossed an Australian attack missing new ball pair Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins.
After a terrible performance in the 2019 World Cup, SA displayed encouraging depth in this series as they flourished without key players Kagiso Rabada, Faf du Plessis and Rassie van der Dussen. Australia, meanwhile, are in a vulnerable state as they head into their home ODI series against New Zealand this week.
With Labuschagne having stepped up, Australia will hope for similarly influential efforts against the Kiwis from the likes of Starc, Warner, Carey, Finch and Marsh, who laboured in SA.
Tom
Maddinson has been dreadful in white ball cricket since he moved to Vic. Red ball form has gone through the roof while his white ball form has fallen off a cliff.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Well, I did say we are lucky to have him and I mean it. I'm not on his case, I realise he's not a machine, but it just seems to me that he could be an even better bowler if he had a more reliable method once that shine comes off. He might already be doing everything humanly possible but if there is a way for him to improve those middle overs he would become a level above his already lofty heights.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
Exactly, read my second and third sentence. There's no such thing as a bowler who can just consistently rip through opposition batting lineups in their home conditions. In fact, in ODI cricket, if you are averaging 2 wickets per match, you are doing pretty well. You'll get the odd match where he will decimate a batting lineup and pick up 5 or 6. But that happens rarely for even the best bowlers. Anyway, Starc didn't even play in this last game where the bowlers completely failed to come close to stopping SA chasing down a well under par total, so don't know why he's so many people's target.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
True, but he didn't exactly rip through the Saffers on this tour. He did seem to have the wood on DeKock but that's as far as it went really. The rest of them handled him ok.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I don't know. He did just break the record for the most wickets in a ICC 50-over World Cup just last year. I think people just expect too much of him. No bowler can just come out and rip through batting lineups on flat pitches match after match. It just isn't going to happen. He's doing okay.
jose
Roar Rookie
Yea even i dont understand how come Kane Richardson is still getting selected. He was a flop in last year's world cup, selected again and gave away plenty of runs. May be because he is playing in the same BBL team which Finch capatains ;)
Nick
Roar Guru
I think Australia mentally switched off. Quite obviously the more important leg of this tour was the T20I's, and Australia nailed that. These ODI matches were just superannuation top ups. Not great to lose 3-0, but I wouldn't read too much into it. For SA, they were desperately needing to salvage something from what has been a dreadfully poor summer. Spanked by England in the tests and T20's, spanked by Australia in the T20's, tied the English ODI series... they needed something.
Nick
Roar Guru
this is such a peculiar stat for people to mention tbh. There would be quite a stack of cricketers in Australia in this current era who would have a W/L ratio near that mark. Why single Marsh out - when a Australia loses by an innings in a test match, or by 150 runs in a ODI and he's playing, then quite obviously 5-6 other players were just as bad.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
That runout came at a crucial time for Aus. Were just beginning to accelerate. But in fairness Labuschagne did apologize in a post match interview.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
I was referring to decent leadership of sports bodies. It is glaringly absent.
Kanggas2
Roar Rookie
S a seem to produce some great leaders on the rugby field lately .
Shellbell
Roar Rookie
If I was Marsh, I would be counting my lucky stars for all the money I get for having a less than 50% winning ratio across all formats which surely no other Aussie player has ever achieved.
VivGilchrist
Roar Rookie
Short, short memories
Micko
Roar Rookie
Looks like South African cricket has a lot more depth than we realised.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
His role should be that of anchoring the innings letting others bat around him, but Marnus seems quite capable of filling that spot… But also remember that Smith always seems to struggle in SA.
Just Nuisance
Roar Rookie
All those predictions of SA Cricket collapsing appear unfounded. The SA rookies are clearly good Cricketers. Technically solid and actually outhought The Australians. They in fact looked more experienced than their Aussie counterparts. But truth is all is not well in The Republic….. The coach recently fired, The Provincial franchises calling for the resignation of The Board of Cricket SA which constitutes of people who have in the words of Dr Ali Bacher… ” Zero knowledge of Cricket”… These new players some not so young have been campaigning successfully at domestic level for years. Why were they not part of the National set up years ago? The answer is an uncomfortable one and goes to govt policy.. The players Union have taken Cricket SA to court for trimming domestic contracts whilst shrouded in controversy for inappropriate spending on themselves… SA still through our excellent school systems produce good Cricketers. What we are not producing are good leaders.. Therein lies the rub.
dungerBob
Roar Rookie
Starc's a funny one. He's amazing at taking a wicket very early but often seems to take his foot off the gas after that. The only conclusion I can come to with that is that he's at his best when the ball is swinging, like most bowlers, but unlike a lot of other guys hasn't really got a plan when it stops swinging. I probably shouldn't complain too much, we're lucky to have him, but it would be good if he could work out a way to remain effective once the shine comes off.
Dwanye
Roar Rookie
No way, he ‘had’ to replace Payne in the Aust side right now!!!!! Right now!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Blah, blah, blah
Nick
Guest
Starc didn't play this game so applies to all the bowlers
matth
Roar Guru
Some other positives was Jhye Richardson coming back in after his injury troubles and Hazlewood reminding everyone he can be a very good white ball bowler. But 250 doesn’t win you many ODI’s these days. Marnus went run a ball so the others obviously really struggled for tempo