Australia drops Labuschagne for New Zealand Test series
Selectors look to Smith's return and the Sheffield Shield round as Labuschagne, averaging 23.66 in his last 10 Tests, sits out the opener in Perth.
Australia has dropped Marnus Labuschagne from the Test team for the first time since he was left out of the West Indies tour in the Caribbean, Cricket Australia said in a statement on Monday.
Selection chair George Bailey said the No.3 batter would not be considered for the first Test against New Zealand, which starts on Dec. 9 in Perth, but could still be picked for the wider series.
"At this stage we won't be considering Marn for selection for certainly that first Test, but for the New Zealand series," Bailey told media.
Bailey said the decision gave Labuschagne room to work on his game and ended speculation about his place before the next round of Sheffield Shield cricket.
Labuschagne, 32, has been dropped for the second time in 17 months, Cricket Australia said.
His slump dates back to the 2023 Ashes, the last series in which he scored a century, and since returning from the West Indies omission he has averaged 23.66 in 10 Tests, with two fifties from 19 innings.
He scored 0 and 4 in the final Test in South Africa last month after failing to reach 40 in the first two matches.
His batting average has fallen from 60.82 after 30 Tests to 42.64 after 68, a steep decline from a peak between November 2019 and December 2022, when he hit 10 hundreds in 36 innings.
Bailey said Labuschagne still had a path back to the side, possibly as soon as the Test tours of India and England next year.
"It's still possible, absolutely," Bailey said.
"But that performance hasn't been there."
Steve Smith is expected to return to the side first after missing the Cape Town decider with a neck injury, Cricket Australia said.
Bailey said selectors would name the rest of the squad at the end of the next Sheffield Shield round, which begins on Wednesday.
Labuschagne will return to captain Queensland, Bailey said.
The four-Test series begins in Perth on Dec. 9, followed by Adelaide Oval from Dec. 17, the MCG in Melbourne from Dec. 26 and the SCG in Sydney from Jan. 4.
