Australian selectors have stuck with struggling batter Marnus Labuschagne for next month’s Test tour of South Africa, as chair George Bailey admitted he is mulling a return up the order for Steve Smith. Sixteen players were named in the touring party on Monday, including all those involved in the most recent defeat of Bangladesh in Mackay. Fast bowler Michael Neser, spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and batter Cooper Connolly will join the group for the series starting in Durban on 9 October.
Bailey backed Labuschagne to deliver and said selectors had confidence in him as the incumbent at No 3. I’m not sure around that, but you know Marn, he’ll prepare incredibly well and specifically for this tour.” Labuschagne was ICC’s top-ranked Test batter in 2023, but has struggled for runs in the years since with his last century coming in the 2023 Ashes. He averaged 25 in last summer’s Ashes, and then had scores of 1, 31 and 4 in the recent Tests against Bangladesh.
The 32-year-old will be competing for selection with Josh Inglis and Connolly, the 23-year-old who has been tipped for a bright future. A single warm-up match in Potchefstroom will serve as a key opportunity for Labuschagne to find form, but it will also serve as a chance for others to press their claims. He will be in South Africa for the ODI series prior to the Tests in a squad named last week notable for its omission of Labuschagne.
Connolly scored 216 runs at an average of 31 for Western Australia in the Sheffield Shield last season, but has a solid first class record. Over 13 matches, the middle-order batter averages 42. Bailey said selectors would consider a tweak to the batting line-up, including dropping Travis Head back down the order, and returning Smith to No 3.
The success that he had at five, but also the success he has had at the top, and what he provides to the structure of the team there.
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