Marnus Labuschagne held onto his spot in the Test squad for the upcoming three-match series against South Africa despite a string of poor performances in recent months. Legends like Ricky Ponting and Matthew Hayden have called for his exclusion, but the right-hander was shown faith by George Bailey as Cricket Australia announced the squad on Monday for the upcoming blockbuster series between the top two-positioned teams in the World Test Championship (WTC) standings.
It has been more than three years since Labuschagne last hit a century in July 2023, averaging just 24.69 in his last 43 Test innings. Recently, he also lost his place in the ODI squad for the contest against the Proteas, but retained his place in the Test squad despite returning with scores of 1, 31 and 4 in his three innings against Bangladesh.
Speaking of the squad, the selectors also added Cooper Connolly, Michael Neser, and Matthew Kuhnemann to the 16-man squad, while the remaining 13 are the same from the last Test against Bangladesh in Mackay, which the Pat Cummins-led side won in two days.
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Connolly has been added to the squad despite the left-hander not having a first-class century to his name. He has batted at No.3 just once and was recently dropped by Western Australia for the final Sheffield Shield match last summer.
{{/usCountry}}Connolly has been added to the squad despite the left-hander not having a first-class century to his name. He has batted at No.3 just once and was recently dropped by Western Australia for the final Sheffield Shield match last summer.
{{/usCountry}}Neser entered the squad after recovering from a calf strain he suffered during a training camp in early August. He joins the squad as the fifth fast bowler alongside Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland.
Two all-rounders
Cameron Green and Beau Webster are the two all-rounders in the squad, and the duo are likely to feature in the playing XI for the first Test against the Proteas in Durban. Matt Renshaw has been retained as an opener in the squad. Earlier, the left-hander had replaced Jake Weatherald after the latter had a poor outing against Bangladesh in the first Test.
"This is a reasonably condensed three-game series, on the back of six one-day internationals, with only short breaks between each game. The squad provides balance and options for each Test and the variety of conditions we may face,” Chair of Selectors George Bailey said in an official statement.
Australia will play South Africa in Test matches in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town. The series begins October 9.
Australia Test squad for tour of South Africa: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster.