Marnus Labuschagne dropped from Australia Test squad for New Zealand series

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Former world No. 1 Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped from Australia’s squad for the upcoming four-match ICC World Test Championship series against New Zealand, following an extended slump in the red-ball format.

Australia made an early decision regarding Labuschagne’s status, with selection chair George Bailey confirming the right-hander will not feature in the trans-Tasman series starting in Perth on December 9, according to the ICC website.

Labuschagne has struggled for consistency in recent months, managing only 131 runs in six innings during Australia’s recent three-match series against South Africa.

The 32-year-old has failed to score a Test century since 2023, causing his place in the Australian batting lineup to come under intense scrutiny. After dominating the top of the ICC Test batting rankings in 2021, his recent struggles have seen him slide to 40th in the latest standings.

“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, as quoted by the ICC Website. “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.”

George Bailey keeps door open for Test comeback

Despite the omission, Bailey emphasised that Labuschagne retains a path back to the Test side, particularly with Australia facing a packed 2027 calendar featuring major tours to India and England.

“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.

Australia have not yet released their full squad for the series against New Zealand, though Bailey noted several domestic contenders are pressing for inclusion.

“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 added.

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