Marnus Labuschagne has backed Usman Khawaja forward of the second Ashes Check and made it clear he is not going to be transferring again up the order even when Australia determine to drop the struggling opener.
Khawaja struggled with again spasms throughout Australia’s dramatic victory over England within the collection opener in Perth, failing to open both innings and contributing solely two runs to his group’s trigger.
Travis Head’s match-winning century as Khawaja’s alternative as opener has reinvigorated the controversy excessive of the Australian order, however Labuschagne bridled on Monday when requested if he had any recommendation for the lefthander.
“I don’t assume he wants recommendation,” Labuschagne advised reporters at Brisbane’s Gabba, the place the second Check begins on Thursday.
“He’s 38, he’s been across the block a very long time … he’s an incredible participant.
“And the way in which he’s gone about his sport, the way in which he’s gone from a quantity three, 4 after which to open the batting, and the way in which he’s executed that and navigated some tough situations. He’s simply been superior.
“So I don’t have any recommendation for him on it, as a result of … in first-class (cricket) this yr, he’s batted superbly. The way in which he’s been batting is superior.”
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Mockingly, the heated debate about Australia’s opening partnership over the 22 months since David Warner retired from Exams has beforehand targeted fully on who ought to bat with Khawaja.
Labuschagne and Steve Smith have crammed the hole left by Warner on a brief foundation, however the 31-year-old instructed on Monday that the time for such experiments was over.
“I feel we will just about make sure that Steve or I received’t open,” he mentioned.
Labuschagne, who usually bats at quantity three, was dropped from the Check facet through the tour of the West Indies in June and July after a poor run of kind, solely to storm again into the group with a string of centuries in home cricket.
In Perth, he scored a modest 9 runs within the opening innings earlier than securing his twenty fourth Check half-century within the firm of Head to get Australia throughout the road for an eight-wicket victory.
“I personally took loads away from that,” he mentioned.
“To have the ability to go on the market and end the sport off, construct that partnership with Trav and have the ability to play some actually free-flowing cricket was actually thrilling.”
Printed on Dec 01, 2025