Australia have made bold selection calls ahead of their first Test against the West Indies in Barbados, with middle-order batter Marnus Labuschagne dropped from the playing XI.
The Queenslander, once a mainstay in Australia’s red-ball setup, has been omitted following a prolonged dip in form, while opener Sam Konstas and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis return to the squad.
Cricket Australia confirmed the changes on Friday morning, also announcing that vice-captain Steve Smith would miss the series opener due to a finger injury sustained during the recent World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord’s. Smith is expected to return for the second Test in Grenada, subject to medical clearance.
Chief selector George Bailey acknowledged Labuschagne’s struggles with consistency during the recent WTC cycle, where he managed just 974 runs at an average of 27.82, with only one century across 38 innings.
“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team,” Bailey said. “He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects. We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover.”
Labuschagne was elevated to opener for the WTC final against South Africa but failed to impress, scoring 17 and 22 in Australia’s defeat. Both times, he was dismissed by Marco Jansen, edging behind in near-identical fashion.
Australian head coach Andrew McDonald emphasised the importance of time in the middle and maintained confidence in Labuschagne’s work ethic.
“There’s no harder worker than Marnus,” McDonald said. “He had a great prep for the final and worked on the right things, but sometimes preparation doesn’t always translate to performance. Now it’s really just about the returns.”
Taking Labuschagne’s place is 19-year-old Sam Konstas, who last featured during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. He made headlines with an entertaining half-century on debut against India at the MCG. Meanwhile, Inglis, who scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, reclaims his spot after being left out of the WTC final in favour of all-rounder Cameron Green.
The first Test of the two-match series begins on Thursday at Kensington Oval in Bridgetown, with Australia aiming to bounce back after their WTC disappointment.
