Trending 
Dropped Australian Test batsman Marnus Labuschagne says he is determined to prove his critics wrong and has offered to open the batting for the upcoming Ashes series against England.
The longtime number three was axed from the team for the recent Test tour of the West Indies after a lean period with the bat.
In his first public comments since being dropped, the 31-year-old told The Australian newspaper that the decision may have been a “blessing in disguise.”
Labuschagne said he used the time away from the team to reflect and focus on how to earn his spot back.
“It was tough because you never want to be dropped,” he said. “But… my mind shifted straight away to, ‘Okay, how am I playing the Ashes… how do I make that happen?'”
Labuschagne was moved to the opening spot in his last Test against South Africa, where he recorded low scores.
With his replacement, teenager Sam Konstas, now struggling in the position, Labuschagne said he is ready to take on the role.
“I would be happy to do that—I would love to,” he said. “If opener is where I need to bat to be playing in the Test team, that’s fine.”
Labuschagne is set to return to action for Australia in a home one-day series against South Africa this month.
He will then compete in the Sheffield Shield, where he hopes to impress selectors enough to secure a recall for the five-Test Ashes series, which begins on November 21 in Perth.
