"He got out the same way he always does" - David Warner not convinced despite Marnus Labuschagne's gritty 64 in BGT 2024-25 2nd Test

Former Australia opener David Warner feels Marnus Labuschagne is nowhere close to his best despite a gritty 64-run knock in the Adelaide Test against India. He believes Labuschagne got a few loose deliveries from the visitors, which helped him get his eye in.

Labuschagne was under heavy scrutiny heading into the pink-ball Test after managing scores of 2 and 3 in Perth. The right-hander toughened up in tricky conditions to score a gritty 64. which went a long way in setting up a 157-run lead for Australia.

Speaking to The Herald Sun, he opined:

"I’m still not convinced with Marnus. I don’t think that was anywhere near what we know he’s capable of. He might have got a couple out of the middle, got a couple of freebies, batted well that night to get through but they bowled poorly. So from that perspective, he had the best conditions to come out and bat in. But he got out the same way he always does get out when he gets over 50, hits it straight to gully."

Smith, who returned to No.4 after opening in the last two series, last made a half-century against the West Indies in Brisbane earlier this year. Meanwhile, Khawaja's last fifty-plus score also came in the same game.

"They’re trying to shut his scoring down" - David Warner on Steve Smith's struggles

David Warner. (Image Credits: Getty)

Meanwhile, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith have struggled in both Tests with top scores of 13 and 17, respectively. Warner acknowledged that the leg-side trap has worked against Smith, but he believes one knock is all the former captain needs to return to form.

"Steve of late, I think a lot of teams have been bowling at his pads and down leg side. So I think from that perspective they’re trying to shut his scoring down quite a bit. You see he’s trying to tinker with fixing certain things with Bumrah. His feet weren’t moving across this time. We know what Steve’s like, one knock and then he’s there," he said.

Reflecting on Khawaja's string of low scores, the 38-year-old stated:

"Uz, exactly the same. He’s had a great 12 months before. But then of late he hasn’t scored as many runs as he would have liked, but same thing, you’ve just got to go out there and still present the same attitude, the same at training, keep working hard."

With the series tied at 1-1, the two sides will resume their rivalry in Brisbane in the third Test, starting December 14.