Labuschagne axed as Konstas and Inglis to face West Indies
By Tom Decent
Steve Smith has been officially ruled out of Australia’s first Test against the West Indies in Barbados, as selectors swing the axe on underperforming batter Marnus Labuschagne after a lean run.
Smith is still recovering from the finger injury he sustained during the world Test championship final against South Africa and will be assessed again ahead of the second Test in Grenada.
Marnus Labuschagne after he was dismissed in the second innings against South Africa at Lord’s.Credit: Getty Images
However, in major news five days out from the first Test in Bridgetown starting on Wednesday, selectors have confirmed that Labuschagne will be dropped from Australia’s XI.
The No.3 hasn’t made a century in his past 30 Test innings and made scores of 17 and 26 against South Africa at Lord’s playing as a makeshift opener.
The 30-year-old’s last Test century came against England in the 2023 Ashes in Manchester.
Chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed Josh Inglis and Sam Konstas would replace Smith and Labuschagne in the XI for the series opener starting June 25 at Kensington Oval.
Konstas is likely to partner Khawaja at the top of the order, while Inglis, who made a century on Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year, could slot in at No.3 with Cam Green at No.4 in Smith’s absence.
“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Bailey said.
“We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers.
“In his only opportunity in Test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition.
The opening combination of Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne lasted just one Test: the WTC final at Lord’s.Credit: AP
“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. 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. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”
A batting order will be determined closer to the first Test.
Former England captain and Fox Sports commentator Michael Vaughan told this masthead he thought Labuschagne needed time away from Test cricket after his recent performances.
“I personally would think about giving Marnus a breather, just take him out of the firing line for a couple of games,” Vaughan said before Friday’s announcement. “I’m not saying he won’t play in the Ashes but sometimes a breather out of the team is a good thing.”
Australia’s first training session in Barbados will take place on Saturday ahead of their first Test tour of the Caribbean in a decade.
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