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Australia batter, Marnus Labuschagne, has been out of the Aussie Test lineup since the ICC World Test Championship Final 2025 against South Africa, according to the ICC website.
Following the final, he was dropped in the West Indies after a considerably poor run in the format, where he's averaged 33.08 since December 2022. Now the batter is ready to return to the international red-ball format and take up the role of an opener in the upcoming Ashes series. "I would be happy to do that [open batting] - I would love to. If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that's fine," Labuschagne said. Opening is not Labuschagne's natural suit, but Cameron Green had an impressive run in seaming conditions at No. 3, which was Labuschagne's older role. Green scored 184 runs in six innings in the West Indies. This might mean that Labuschagne could be asked to try his luck as an opener yet again, and the batter was more than ready to give it a go. "If you had asked me where I prefer to bat, obviously I have batted at three my whole career, but at this stage, you don't get a choice. I opened in the World Test Championship final and felt I batted quite well. I got in but did not go on with it," he added. Labuschagne scored 39 runs over two innings in the final at Lord's, getting starts but failing to convert them. But the batter, who plays three Sheffield Shield games before the Australia home Tests, can still be in consideration, given Sam Konstas' dry run in the West Indies (50 runs from six innings). Labuschagne is still a part of the ODI setup and can feature in the upcoming three-game series against South Africa. (ANI)
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