No Miscommunication with Selectors, Vouches Labuschagne

Cricketnext Staff | Updated: January 16, 2019, 2:19 PM IST

Australian cricketer Marnus Labuschagne has said he faced no problems with regards to communication with the National Selection Panel.

This comes after the National Selection Panel led by Trevor Hohns came under fire for an apparent lack in clarity in communication with the top players.

“They both actually called me – the selectors and (coach) Justin (Langer) when I got dropped,” Labuschagne told Macquarie Sports Radio.

“And that conversation goes down pretty easy. At that time, I hadn’t scored many runs in shield cricket, so I didn’t really have a leg to stand on.

“So it just became a matter of what am I going to do to get back in there, and that was the currency of runs.”

Labuschagne, who broke into the Test team last year in the UAE against Pakistan, was initially overlooked for the India series after he managed 81 runs in four innings and took seven wickets at an average of 22 in his first series.

Named in the squad for the Tests against Sri Lanka, Labuschagne though was called up eventually for the fourth and final SCG Test where he contributed with 38 at No.3 to go with figures of 0-76 in the rain-affected fixture.

Nathan Coulter-Nile and Ashton Agar were among those who voiced concerns about the communication process after being overlooked for Australia’s ongoing three-match ODI Series against India, and Sheffield Shield’s leading run-scorer Matthew Wade has also been critical of the selection panel.

Like Labuschagne, Test captain Tim Paine and batsman Peter Handscomb have also claimed to have had no issues.

"There's an open line of communication," NSP Chairman Trevor Hohns said earlier this month. "It's their careers, so if they're unclear about anything, we'd like to think they can get some clarity if they want and take some ownership of their careers.

"The state talent managers as well are encouraged to encourage the players to give us a call, as is the chairman of selectors from their respective states. People are always told why they've been left out, so there can be no misunderstanding whatsoever.

"Sometimes obviously players are disappointed, there's no doubt about that. And sometimes they may understand, sometimes they may not."

Labuschagne, who averages 33.23 for Queensland, seconded Hohns’ explanation.

“Absolutely you can (contact them),” he said. “In my experience, it’s been pretty clear what’s happened when I’ve been dropped. So I haven’t experienced anything like that with the communication thing."

Labuschagne is one of the seven players with international experience who has been named in a strong Cricket Australia XI squad to face Sri Lanka in a day-night tour match in Hobart starting Thursday.