‘He’s playing for his career’: O’Keeffe on Labuschagne as Aussies eye Cape Town win
Cape Town, Oct 31 (IANS) With so much on the line on the final day of a gripping Test series between South Africa and Australia, Australian cricket great Kerry O’Keeffe feels that Marnus Labuschagne will be batting to play for his career on Day 5 of the Cape Town Test on Saturday.
The series is locked 1-1, and Australia need 288 to secure a famous win and keep the No.1 Test rankings. The visitors are without their talisman Steve Smith, as the new-generation batters Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Alex Carey showed muscle in the first innings. Now with the series on the line after South Africa were bowled out for 387, Australia will want their batters to fire and hand them the series.
O’Keeffe opined that Labuschagne, who has gone without scoring a Test century since 2023, will be playing for his career now in the second innings. “I think he’s playing for his career in this second innings,” O’Keeffe said, as quoted by foxsports.com.au.
“He’s been a marvellous player, but he’s in a drought, and they’ve given him a lot of opportunity to get out of it. It hasn’t happened yet.”
Ex-Australian all-rounder Brendon Julian believed that uncertainty around the batter’s future can give him freedom to play in the second innings. “He’s got an advantage here to go; if they’re going to drop me, I’m just going to go for it. I’m going to play my shots,” Julian told foxsports.com.au.
“He’s looked tentative. He hasn’t looked settled at the crease. I think this is an opportunity for him just to let it go and swing hard. That’s what I’d be doing,” he added and opined that Labuschagne won’t be playing the next Test match. “I don’t think he’s going to play the next Test match in Perth,” Julian said.
Meanwhile, another Aussie great Michael Hussey has not written the batter off. “Well, I’d never say it’s the end of his Test career if he doesn’t make runs this time,” Hussey told foxsports.com.au.
“It might mean he finds his way out of the team for a little while. But as we’ve seen with other players along their journey, been able to come back and still contribute to the Aussie team. It’s just he’s had a bit of a tough couple of years,” he added.
–IANS
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