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South African Test skipper Dean Elgar has set his sights on in-form Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne ahead of the three-Test series, starting on December 17. The southpaw suggested that the stakes shall be high, labeling Labuschagne as 'ex-South African'.
Labuschagne, one of Australia's batting lynchpins, was born in Klerksdorp and his family emigrated to Australia in 2004. The 28-year-old made his Test debut in 2018 and is currently the second-ranked batter in the ICC Test batting rankings.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the first Test, Elgar admitted that Labuschagne is in form, but feels he will fail to score big at some point.
As quoted by Perth Now, the 35-year-old stated:
"Top of off with the odd bouncer seems to be a good indicator. He is one of the form batters in the world and I am sure there is going to be a little bit of extra spice knowing he is ex-South African as well. He is a human being and is also prone to fail as well, which hopefully plays into our hands."
Notably, Labuschagne made a brilliant start to his Test summer, scoring a double-hundred and a hundred in the first Test against the West Indies. However, the right-handed batter rode his luck at numerous stages against right-arm quick Alzarri Joseph.
"They all bring something unique, which is nice to have" - Dean Elgar on the Proteas' bowling unit
Elgar feels South Africa have one of the most complete bowling units, stating that Kagiso Rabada, Anrich Nortje, Lungi Ngidi, and Marco Jansen bring different skill sets to the table. The veteran continued:
"Kagiso's career speaks for itself and we know what Nortje does with regards to bringing the heat. Nortje's skillset is up there so he can balance two different game plans if he has to."
The opening batter added:
"Ngidi has the skillset where if the ball swings around he is the one bowler who is going to get the swing. Jansen also brings a lot of pace and bounce. He's six foot-plus and the tallest member within our bowling ranks. They all bring something unique, which is nice to have."
The tourists can draw confidence from their last three Test tours Down Under, having won all of them.
