|
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne will have a chance to prove himself as a future contender for the 'Baggy Greens' captaincy after he was appointed as Queensland's skipper for the 2024-25 season.
Labuschagne will take over the captaincy role from his compatriot, Usman Khawaja, who will continue to lead the Brisbane Heat in the Big Bash League. The 29-year-old has already had a taste of captaincy. He led Queensland in the Marsh Cup and Sheffield Shield last season. Queensland ended the season at the bottom for the first time since 2007-08, and settled for the fifth spot in the 50-over tournament. He will link up with the new coach, Johan Botha and will try to lift the team after last season's slump. After missing out on a spot in the T20 World Cup, the Australian batter is currently playing for Glamorgan. He recently played his 150th career first-class match as well. For Queensland, he has made 67 Shield games and has racked up 4345 runs which includes 11 centuries. "Both Marnus and Usman are strong leaders and we're looking to the future by appointing Marnus to lead the Bulls. It is an ideal opportunity for Marnus to once again showcase his leadership abilities and provide him with experience at first-class and one-day level. He and our players enjoyed the opportunity he had last season to lead the Bulls and Marnus is excited about the season ahead and working with new coach, Johan Botha," Queensland Cricket CEO Terry Svenson said in a statement released by Queensland Cricket. "I'm greatly honoured to be appointed Queensland captain, as I know how much the Bulls mean to the fans around the state. I've been in a very fortunate position to play alongside some exceptional leaders, and the chance to step up and do a job for the team I love is exciting. We have a great group of players and one of the aspects of the captaincy that I am most looking forward to is helping us to make the most of the structure and opportunities we are creating here in Queensland," Labuschagne said on his captaincy appointment. Labuschagne's availability after October remains to be seen, as Australia will engage in a three-match ODI series against Pakistan in November. After the conclusion of the ODI series, Australia will square off against India in a four-match Test series, which will kick off at the end of November. The 29-year-old is likely to be a part of both series. If he is included, then he will remain unavailable for Queensland. (ANI)
|
