Marnus Labuschagne will be a great captain: Tim Paine

Australian Test skipper Tim Paine believes that top-order batsman Marnus Labuschagne can become a future captain of the Australian cricket team. Tim Paine stated this because of Labuschagne's natural leadership qualities that make him an excellent fit for the role. The Australian wicket-keeper batsman has been amazed by Marnus Labuschagne's enthusiasm. Thus, he expects the batsman to play a more prominent role in the near future for the team. Marnus Labuschagne had a breakthrough 2019 season for Australia as he scored more than 1000 runs.

Apart from Tim Paine, former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting has also backed Labuschagne to be a leader shortly. Ricky Ponting believes that the 26-year-old has all the right qualities to be a successful captain. Notably, in 2018, Tim Paine took over as captaincy reins from Smith after the star batsman was banned for two years. Smith and Warner were banned for their involvement in the ball-tampering scandal that brought disgrace to Australia in South Africa. Aaron Finch was handed over the captaincy in white-ball cricket, whereas Tim Paine was given the reins in Tests.

Labuschagne is number three in the latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen

Marnus Labuschagne is currently one of Australia's finest batsmen, and he believes that he possesses the skills to be a successful player in all three formats. Marnus has featured in 18 Tests and scored 1885 runs at a fantastic average of 60.80. He also has a decent score of 39.41 in his short One Day International career to date. Many experts have assumed that Labuschagne's technically sound game would not be suitable for the game's most concise format. But the 26-year-old has proved his critics wrong in the BBL 2021. The South African-born smashed 176 runs in just six innings at a decent average of 29.33. He also scalped ten wickets, thus making him perfect for the T20 format.

The Australian top-order batsman Marnus Labuschagne is placed on number three in the latest ICC Test Rankings for Batsmen. The Australian cricketer has surpassed Indian captain Virat Kohli on the points table after slamming his fifth century in the Brisbane Test. Marnus Labuschagne is presently in England, representing Glamorgan in the Vitality Blast. As things stand, the batsman is the second-highest run-getter in the tournament. The 26-year-old has scored the fifties in each of his two games in the Blast so far, including an unbeaten 93 against Gloucestershire.

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