Labuschagne dropped for New Zealand Test series
Australia will not consider Marnus Labuschagne for selection in the four-Test home series against New Zealand.
ESPNcricinfo reported that chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed Marnus Labuschagne will not be considered for the upcoming four-Test series against New Zealand. The decision follows an extended run of poor form.
Key takeaways
- Australia chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed Labuschagne will not be considered for selection for the upcoming four-Test series against New Zealand.
- Labuschagne has not scored a Test century in his past 49 innings dating back to July 2023.
- His batting average has fallen from 60.82 after 30 Tests to 42.64 after 68 Tests.
- Australia’s first Test against New Zealand begins on December 9 in Perth.
- The squad will be picked after the fourth Sheffield Shield round, which starts on Wednesday.
Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped from Australia’s Test team for the upcoming four-Test series against New Zealand, ESPNcricinfo reported. Australia chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed the decision on Monday. au reported.
Bailey told reporters the national selection panel had made the decision to announce Labuschagne’s axing now to allow him to go back to captain Queensland in the Sheffield Shield without the conjecture hanging over his head.
Selectors are due to pick Australia’s Test squad for the first Test against New Zealand after the fourth Shield round which starts on Wednesday.
Why it matters
au reported. 66 in 10 Tests, with two fifties from 19 innings. 64 after 68. The final Test of last month’s series in South Africa saw him score 0 and 4, stretching his century-less run to 49 innings.
1 position on the ICC’s Test batting rankings, with Australia’s middle-order pairing of Labuschagne and Steve Smith one of the most formidable in world cricket.
What happens next
Bailey said there was a path back to the Test side for the right-hander, even as soon as next year’s Test series in India and England. “It’s still possible, absolutely,” he said.
” With Labuschagne’s exit confirmed, Smith’s return to the side will likely be the first piece of the puzzle after he missed the decider in Cape Town with a neck injury.
Bailey said selectors would be picking the remainder of the Test squad to take on the Black Caps at the end of the next round of Sheffield Shield.
New Zealand, nicknamed the Black Caps, played their first Test in 1930 against England in Christchurch, becoming the fifth country to play Test cricket, and are the inaugural champions of the ICC World Test Championship, which they won in 2021.
Labuschagne’s recent Test form
Period | Tests | Average | Centuries |
|---|---|---|---|
November 2019 to December 2022 | 36 | 60.82 | 10 |
Since West Indies tour last year | 10 | 23.66 | 0 |
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