The once-glittering international cricket career of Marnus Labuschagne is on the ropes after he was dropped from the ODI side, even if chair of selectors George Bailey made it clear he remains in contention for the Test side.
Labuschagne was dropped from Australia’s white-ball touring party to Zimbabwe and South Africa, a squad named with next year’s ODI World Cup in mind.
Australia play six ODIs in Zimbabwe and South Africa later this month before the highly-anticipated three-Test series against the Proteas in October. Selectors on Tuesday named a group of 17 for the ODI series, noting a squad for the Test will be announced in coming weeks.
Labuschagne was one of five players dropped from the team who played Bangladesh in Australia’s most recent ODI in June.
The 32-year-old was ranked by the ICC as the best Test batter in the world in 2023, but since then has averaged under 30 in Tests. In the latest rankings he came in at equal 38th.
Despite dropping Labuschagne from the ODI side, Bailey said his possible selection for the red ball team is a separate issue.
“It was a one-day cricket conversation, this is a pretty important tool for us. It’s hard to get the link, but Zimbabwe and South Africa, that’s where the World Cup will be played late next year,” he said.
“There’s not a whole lot of games, and the opportunity that’s well-deserved and awarded to some of those other players to continue building out their roles and their performances in those games would be really important.
“And Marn [Labuschagne], again, he’s played some really important one-day cricket for us at his best. That looks a certain way. But the way that squad and team is structuring up, there just wasn’t space for him.”
Labuschagne was on the outer of the Test side ahead of last summer’s Ashes, but a strong start to the Sheffield Shield season secured his place in the side. However, he will not have the chance to play a match for Queensland before the Test squad for the South Africa team is named later this month.
Bailey said the selectors were still working through that selection, ahead of the first Test against South Africa on 9 October. “It’s just about not having to make a decision until you need to make a decision,” he said.
“[We are] still working closely just around as much information as we can around what potentially the wickets we might expect to get in South Africa and what those conditions might look like, some final pieces of the puzzle in terms of some of the some of the fitness around some guys and just what they’re working through, some individuals in that basket, and then probably just landing on the number of players and roles.”
Labuschagne averaged 25 in last summer’s Ashes, and then had scores of 1, 31 and 4 in the Tests against Bangladesh.
Oliver Peake, the 19-year-old Victorian left-hander who became the youngest specialist batter to debut for Australia’s ODI team earlier this year, was praised by Bailey alongside Joel Davies, a 22-year-old allrounder from NSW who debuted for Australia in the T20s against Bangladesh in June.
“For Ollie [Peake] and Joel [Davies], who we rate very highly, it’s another fantastic opportunity and a further chance for them to continue their exposure and growth in the Australian team.”
Australia’s ODI squad: Mitch Marsh, Pat Cummins (capt, SA only), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc (SA only), Adam Zampa.
