The Ashes 2025-26 are fast coming, with a furious duel of five Test matches between Australia and England beginning later this year. And, ahead of the crucial match, Marnus Labuschagne has made a strong case for a return to the Australian national team after a brief absence.
Marnus Labuschagne reportedly informed senior teammate Steven Smith that he was certain of a turnaround.
Smith has disclosed that the No. 3 batsman felt optimistic of returning to the Test squad following a bad run of play over the last year or so. The team announcement has yet to be made, but Labuschagne, who has four centuries in his previous six innings for Queensland, is almost set to make the final line-up for the blockbuster assignment Down Under.
“I sent him a message a couple of days ago saying how proud I was of him. He’s just gone back, and he’s got his fourth hundred in five hits. It’s a pretty big statement. He said to me at the start of the summer, he goes, ‘I’ll be in that Test team come the first [Ashes] Test’. He’s backed up his words, probably. Obviously he’s not selected yet, [but] he’s done a lot of things right,” Smith.
“We’ve all been there [dropped] at some point in our careers, and it’s difficult to hear it, But I think he knew he probably wasn’t batting as well as he had been over probably four years ago when he was scoring a mountain of runs. My advice to him was, ‘stop thinking so technically, just go and play the game; watch the ball and react’. I think he’s been doing that really beautifully, and he’s played so nicely,” the senior batter added.
For the unversed, Smith might see an added responsibility on his shoulders for the Ashes, with doubts lingering over Pat Cummins fitness. Cummins, who is recuperating from a back injury, isn’t certain to be fully available for the England assignment, which makes Smith a contender for captaincy alongside batter Travis Head. The first Ashes Test will begin on November 21 at the Perth Stadium.
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