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Labuschagne's MCG Double Failure Seals 2025 Slump After Contested Catch

His 20.84 Test average is Australia's lowest by a top-four batter in a calendar year since 1981.

Overview

  • Dismissed for 6 and 8 at the MCG, he fell twice to Josh Tongue with Joe Root completing the catches, with the second upheld by the third umpire despite his visible frustration.
  • He finishes 2025 with 271 runs from eight Tests at an average of 20.84, which Wisden lists as the third lowest by an Australian top-four batter on record.
  • His Test century drought now stands at 888 days, with the last hundred being 111 in the 2023 Ashes in England and a closest recent effort of 90 in Christchurch.
  • He was dropped after the World Test Championship final but earned an Ashes recall on the back of Sheffield Shield centuries and early-season List A hundreds.
  • David Warner and Mark Waugh highlighted a recurring vulnerability, noting England’s off-stump plan that squares him up and leads to edges in the cordon.