Australia make big selection call, drop Marnus Labuschagne for New Zealand Tests

Former world No. 1 Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped from Australia’s plans for the upcoming four-match ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand due to his poor run of form. Australia have decided to leave out the right-handed batter after his recent struggles in the longest format. Selection chair George Bailey confirmed that Labuschagne will not be considered for the series, which begins in Perth on Dec 9.

The 32-year-old had a disappointing outing in Australia’s recent three-match series against South Africa, scoring just 131 runs in six innings.

Labuschagne has also failed to score a Test century since 2023. Once one of the top batters in the format, he reached the No. 1 position in the ICC Test batting rankings in 2021. However, his poor performances have seen him drop to 40th place in the latest rankings.

“At this stage we won’t be considering Marn (Labuschagne) for selection for certainly that first Test, but for the New Zealand series,” Bailey said on Monday.

He added that the decision would give the batter some time to regain his form while also putting an end to speculation about his place in the team.

“There's been a lot of speculation around his place in the team, and so I think this gives him a little bit of space and clears up a bit of conjecture as we work through the next round of Shield cricket.”

Also Read - PCB to extend Mike Hesson's stint as Pakistan interim Test coach until end of WTC cycle: Report

Bailey also made it clear that Labuschagne could return to the Test side in the future, with Australia scheduled to tour India and England in 2027.

“It’s still possible, absolutely. And I think we all know how good and how effective Marnus can be at his best. But that performance hasn’t been there. I think he’s missed some opportunities, some promising starts in Darwin and even in South Africa as well, to go on and get a big score that we’d like and would have liked for some time, and that just hasn’t happened. But I don’t think we’ve ever ruled anyone out permanently … and that’s no different in this case,” Bailey added.

Also Read - Diwali damper in U19 Asia Cup as Pakistan beat India in 3-wicket thriller

Australia are yet to announce their squad for the New Zealand series. Bailey said several players outside the current Test setup have impressed and are in contention for selection.

"There's a handful of players that are really well placed at the moment as we work through that over the next week or so to finalise how we think that squad in particular will structure up, and the options we'll have within that," Bailey concluded.