Ricky Ponting's analysis of under-pressure Marnus Labuschagne goes viral after Bangladesh failure
Ricky Ponting gave a three-minute analysis of Marnus Labuschagne and his technique after the under-pressure batter fell cheaply in Australia's first innings of their second Test against Bangladesh.
An extraordinary 18 wickets fell on day one in Mackay, with Bangladesh bowled out for just 64 before Australia stumbled to 165 for eight in reply before close.
Only Cameron Green (51 not out) and Steve Smith (42) offered any real resistance, though Australia do at least hold a relatively comfortable lead heading into the second day.
One player who will surely not be feeling comfortable is Labuschagne, who kept his spot at number three for the second Test amid question marks from fans and ex-players alike over his place in the side.
Advert
The 31-year-old hadn't scored a Test century in three years as he arrived in Mackay, and he opened his account with a prodded edge through the slips for four runs.
That was his only scoring shot, as Labuschagne attempted to cut an in-swinger from Shoriful Islam only for the ball to crash into middle and leg stump.
Given the state of the game and Australia's position, whether the Queensland star gets another opportunity to prove himself in this Test remains to be seen.
'The bowlers now know...' - Ricky Ponting on Marnus Labuschagne
Shortly after Labuschagne's dismissal, former Australia captain Ponting gave an in-depth analysis of Labuschagne's technique on Channel 7, and explained what he wants him to change about his batting.
"The worry I have with him, I think there's some technical deficiency there, but I think he's making the margin for error for the bowlers too great," Ponting explained.
"He can't score off the back foot. If you can't score off the back foot in Test cricket, batting becomes a hard game. That's the great difference between when he was at his best three or four years ago - when he was arriving 65, 68, for a Test year - he was scoring off the front foot and back foot.
"I think the bowlers now know that they can run in and bowl anywhere from almost 10 metres to about four metres, on off stump and as wide as they want, and he can't hurt them.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm not one for making panic change, just because they lost last week. It wasn't about that. But when something stretches out as long as it has now, and it's well over two years since he last made a Test hundred, average of 23... last summer, if the numbers aren't there, I was all about picking on talent. It has worked in the past.
READ MORE: Ricky Ponting urges Australia to drop two players after 'embarrassing' Bangladesh defeat
"We have so much talent ID going on. We have people in states, a lot of selectors, all of our selectors are watching state games. There has to be one, two, three, four guys out there where, when you watch them bat, they just make batting look that little bit easier than the others.
"Now sometimes that doesn't always reflect in numbers, in hundred after hundred, especially on those wickets. There has to be some out there that just make batting look a little bit easier.
"By trying these guys, I don't see what we're losing. We're not losing anything. I'm not about throwing baggy greens away - it's not about that.
"But we need to find someone, and we need to find a few quickly. Because in a couple of years' time, there's going to be about seven of these guys that are going to vacate the team at once. I've been there as a captain - it's not easy to fill that many holes in what has been a good and experienced cricket team for a long time."
Ryan Smart