Marnus takes on captaincy
Marnus Labuschagne will have a chance to press his captaincy credentials when he leads Queensland for the first time at senior level in a one-day game today.
The Australian star is also set to play a Sheffield Shield game in Adelaide starting Friday as he tries to rediscover his best form ahead of Australia’s Test tour of New Zealand later this month.
Labuschagne has been named captain in Queensland’s final
Marsh Cup fixture against South Australia at Karen Rolton Oval in the absence of Bulls skipper Usman Khawaja and his usual deputy Jimmy Peirson, who is managing a knee complaint ahead of the Shield fixture.
Khawaja is unlikely to make the trip to Adelaide for the Shield game as he is given time to rest before the New Zealand tour.
The extra responsibility comes as Labuschagne looks to turn around a disappointing run of form in the Australian summer, after he looked set to snap a slump with the bat by posting a pair of half-centuries against Pakistan in Sydney before battling against the West Indies with scores of 10, 1*, 3 and 5 in the two Tests and 26 in his one innings during the ODI series.
With the Bulls and Redbacks both unable to qualify for the tournament final, Queensland is set to blood 25-year-old wicketkeeper Dylan McLachlan and give opportunities to rookies Hugo Burdon and Connor Sully.
The winner of the clash between NSW and Victoria at the North Sydney Oval on Wednesday will earn the right to host the Marsh Cup final, while Western Australia can rise from third place into the second finals spot by beating Tasmania in Hobart.