Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne, who has been on the sidelines from the red-ball setup, is plotting a return to the Test side by targeting the role of opener in the upcoming Ashes series. Labuschagne, who had been a mainstay in Australia's top order, was recently dropped for the first time during the Test series against the West Indies. In fact, he has been out of the Test squad since the World Test Championship (WTC) final in June 2025.
“This (being left out) has given me an opportunity to reflect and not having the pressure of the media saying, ‘Marnus has got to go’,” Labuschagne told News Corp.
A slump in form led to his omission, as he could manage 39 runs at the WTC final against South Africa while opening the innings for Australia. Meanwhile, Labuschagne has never regularly occupied the opening spot because he has been a consistent performer for Australia at no. 3 since December 2022.
“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 said.
Now, with the 2025-26 Ashes series looming large on the horizon, Labuschagne is ready to embrace any role for the side.
“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,” he said.