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Marnus Labuschagne’s timely century boosts his case for Australia return
Australia’s struggling batter Marnus Labuschagne has made a strong case for his place in Australia’s Test team for the first Test against South Africa, starting on October 9 in Durban. Labuschagne came out with the kind of response, which was needed at this point in order for him to cement his place in the Test team.
His place in Australia’s Test batting line-up had been under growing scrutiny following a series of lacklustre outings, but the veteran batter’s fiery century on a South Africa tour game against a Cricket South Africa Invitation XI has helped him strengthen his claim for selection ahead of the upcoming Test series. Labuschagne brought up his century off 76 balls, blasting 19 boundaries in a rather encouraging performance. Overall, he bludgeoned 111 off 89 balls before retiring out.
This innings will surely provide an important confidence boost for Labuschagne, who has endured a century drought over the past three years. His poor run of form, coupled with the century drought, had touched off discussions surrounding Labuschagne’s place in the team. But despite all that, selectors kept their faith with him, giving him repeated opportunities. Now, he is expected to take his usual position at No. 3 in the first Test against South Africa and would look to carry on with his red-hot form. Notably, this will be Australia’s first Test series in South Africa since the 2018 ball-tampering scandal.
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New Zealand Cricket withdraws from Major League Cricket investment plans for 2027
New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has stepped back from its planned investment in Major League Cricket (MLC) in the United States ahead of the 2027 season. The decision comes as NZC looks to focus its resources on developing cricket at home and strengthening its domestic competitions. In April 2025, NZC announced a partnership with US-based True North Sports (TNS) Vent...
James Pamment backs Kieron Pollard to replace Mahela Jayawardene as Mumbai Indians head coach
Former Mumbai Indians fielding coach James Pamment has expressed surprise over Mahela Jayawardene stepping down as the franchise's head coach. He has also backed former MI star Kieron Pollard to take charge of the five-time Indian Premier League (IPL) champions. Jayawardene recently stepped down after his second stint as Mumbai Indians head coach. During his fi...
Steve Smith notches up 11,000 runs in Test cricket
Australia’s decorated batter Steve Smith has claimed a mammoth milestone in his distinguished career, completing 11,000 runs in Test cricket. Smith reached the 11,000 Test runs mark on day four of the ongoing second Test between Australia and South Africa in Gqeberha.
He becomes the third Australian after Ricky Ponting (13,378) and A...
IND vs NZ: Shane Bond backs Varun Chakaravarthy and Vaibhav Sooryavanshi ahead of T20I series
Former New Zealand fast bowler Shane Bond believes Indian spinner Varun Chakaravarthy could be a major challenge for New Zealand batters in the upcoming T20I series. Bond feels the extra bounce in New Zealand conditions could make the mystery spinner difficult to handle, even though the pitches are expected to favour fast bowlers. Chakaravarthy has taken 75 wic...
Ishan Kishan eyes three major records ahead of India’s T20I series against New Zealand
Ishan Kishan is close to achieving three major batting milestones as India prepare for their five-match T20I series against New Zealand, starting in Christchurch on Thursday. The Indian wicketkeeper-batter has enjoyed an impressive year and will have several opportunities to make history before the year ends. Kishan is chasing the record for the most T20I runs ...
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