"I think he'll be a great captain" - Tim Paine backs Marnus Labuschagne to lead Australia in the future

Tim Paine backed Marnus Labuschagne to take over the leadership reins in the future. The Test captain praised Marnus Labuschagne for his natural ability, backing him to become a great captain for Australia.

Marnus Labuschagne has risen to No.3 in the Test rankings since making his debut in 2018 and is a crucial cog in Australia’s Test setup. Although he is yet to make a T20 appearance for the Aussies, Marnus Labuschagne has impressed during his short ODI career as well.

Tim Paine spoke to the media recently, where he claimed Marnus Labuschagne is on his way to becoming one of Australia’s new leaders.

“He's got some real natural leadership ability and if that's harnessed and helped, I think he'll be a great captain. He's got leadership in him, there's no doubt about that – the way he goes about it, the way he treats people, the way he works on his game, with some time (he) will become an excellent leader for this squad," Paine claimed.

A career high T20 score for Marnus Labuschagne in the #T20Blast 🙌 pic.twitter.com/4BY2PIK1hM

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) June 11, 2021

Marnus Labuschagne hasn’t had much leadership experience, with Queensland veteran Usman Khawaja usually taking up the captaincy role for the side. But Tim Paine was effusive in his praise for the 26-year-old, suggesting how Marnus Labuschagne is the future of Australian cricket.

"I think he'd be a good (leader), Marnus is a great thinker of the game. He's a good team man, he's got so much enthusiasm for his team and the game. With Marnus it's about him evolving into leading more and being more of a leader. He's come into our group and been a really infectious, energetic guy which has been fantastic for our team, but I think in terms of our cricket team improving and Marnus evolving, I think in the next couple of years we'll definitely see him take the step up,” Paine explained.

Ricky Ponting had named Marnus Labuschagne as a future captain too

✅ Back to back fifties for Marnus Labuschagne✅ Eight wickets in three matches for James FaulknerAll the Aussies who played in the #T20Blast and #HBLPSL6 overnight ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/qjXcetC35M

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) June 14, 2021

Tim Paine is not the only Australian who sees leadership potential in Marnus Labuschagne. Legendary captain Ricky Ponting had predicted the diminutive batsmen would be in the captaincy reckoning in 2020.

"(He) will come into the conversation in 12-18 months' time, once he's properly established himself in the team. He seems like the right sort of guy to maybe be a captain down the track at some point,” Ponting had then said.

For now, Marnus Labuschagne remains an outside pick for Australia’s captaincy. Steve Smith and Pat Cummins remain ahead of him in the pecking order as Australia step up their planning for their next era in international cricket.