Tim Paine backs Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne despite WTC final failure

Despite Australia’s failure in the WTC Final, former captain Tim Paine has backed openers Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne, stating that players of their calibre should not be dropped after just one poor Test performance.

“Look at Dave Warner – one of our best cricketers – six months before he retired, people said he has got to go (and now) two years down the track, we still have not replaced him. You do not just have a bad Test in England and dump people like Uz and Marnus. They are a huge part of the team for the next year at least,” said Paine.

Following David Warner’s retirement, several players have been tried at the top of the order. While Steve Smith experienced a fair amount of success in that role, he has yet to truly fill Warner’s shoes.

Paine also expressed confidence that both Khawaja and Labuschagne will play crucial roles in the upcoming Ashes series, Australia’s historic Test rivalry against England.

“I see them going to the Windies and playing well and getting ready for a huge Ashes series. Usman and Marnus will play really, really important roles in the Ashes. We are very quick in this country to move on players, we always want to see if the grass is greener,” said Paine.

During the WTC final against South Africa, Steve Smith injured his finger while fielding in the slips.

Speaking on his injury, “Steve Smith`s (finger) injury means he would not play in the Windies first Test, so Konstas comes in and Marnus drops back. We have heard them say that when they have the spin pitches, Travis Head would slide up and Marnus down.”

Khawaja finished the WTC cycle 2023-25 as Australia`s top run-scorer. In 20 matches, the left-hander scored 1,428 runs, including two centuries and six half-centuries. On the other hand, Labuschagne was promoted to the opening slot, with Cameron Green coming at number three and Smith at number four.

But after Labuschagne`s failure at the top, the selection debates have sparked for the upcoming West Indies series, with Sam Konstas likely to take the opening slot.

(With ANI Inputs)

This article first appeared on Mid Day