West Indies vs Australia second Test: Aussies delay call on sending Marnus Labuschagne home

Marnus Labuschagne faces another Test watching from the sidelines as Australia delays a call on whether to send the out-of-favour batter home from the Caribbean.

Australia will defer a call on whether to release Marnus Labuschagne until after the second Test despite him being pushed two back in the tourists’ batting depth chart by Steve Smith’s return.

Smith’s inclusion for the clash in Grenada was confirmed by Australian captain Pat Cummins on match eve, with Josh Inglis making way for the ex-skipper who was cleared to play after missing the series opener with a compound dislocation of his little right finger.

The Aussies are otherwise unchanged, with second-choice spinner Matt Kuhnemann again bypassed on a wicket neither side was expecting to turn significantly.

Smith batted seamlessly in the nets for about 45 minutes at Australia’s optional session in the early hours of Thursday morning (AEST) to reinforce his readiness for the match, and even practised slips catching to spin.

Marnus Labuschagne has been on the outer after opening in the World Test Championship final.

It is likely however that Smith will be somewhat hidden in the field, with Sam Konstas and Mitchell Starc to help fill gaps at third slip and gully.

With Inglis again relegated to the role of reserve batter, Labuschagne is now two deep in the queue and highly unlikely to be called upon as a concussion substitute, even though he remains a threat as a sub fielder – as evidenced by a direct hit run out in the first Test.

Aussie coach Andrew McDonald said after the win in Bridgetown that if Smith was cleared to play, the national selection panel would consider sending Labuschagne either back to Glamorgan or to play for Australia A in its upcoming four-day matches against Sri Lanka A in Darwin.

However Cummins said at his pre-match press conference that Australia would not rush to a decision.

“I think they make a call kind of after this Test. I think they’re still umming and ahhing. Obviously, you still need some concussion subs and things like that. So yeah, no decision I think is made yet, give it another few days,” Cummins said.

“I think Wadey (assistant coach Matthew Wade) might be happy (if he leaves), he’s thrown him about 1000 balls last week in Barbados, but he was great. I mean, he got a run out as well. He always kind of finds a way to stay involved. So yeah we’ll wait and see. But I think probably a conversation between (selection chair) George (Bailey) and (coach) Ronnie (Andrew McDonald) and Marn, how he wants to best map out the next couple of months.”

The third Test of the Frank Worrell Trophy series begins in Jamaica on July 13 (AEST), the same day as the first of the four-day A matches commences in the Top End.

Glamorgan – where Labuschagne has played semi-regularly since 2019 – also has two County Championship matches at the back end of the month, although in any case Labuschagne would likely be back in Australia by early-to-mid August given his role in the Aussies’ one-day international side, which has three games against South Africa in Far North Queensland during beginning on August 18.

Steve Smith will bat in a splint for the rest of the series.

Smith was injured in the field during the WTC final.

The Windies meanwhile would not confirm an XI on match eve. Captain Roston Chase said his side was considering dropping vice-captain Jomel Warrican given the spinner was barely used in the first Test.

If Warrican was to make way, an extra quick – Anderson Phillip – shaped as the likely inclusion.

Cummins said there remained scope for Kuhnemann to enter the series in Kingston, despite the match being a pink-ball fixture.

“I think it’s still a bit of a wait and see. It seems like Jamaica can spin a lot, so I think even it was a pink ball kind of wait and see. And stay pretty open minded. Obviously, you know, Beau’s a third quick as well. So until you kind of get eyes on the wicket, it’s pretty hard to know,” Cummins said.

“I remember watching a few Test matches over here when it was quite extreme spin. I can’t remember where they were. So I think just every venue is a little bit different. I thought maybe two out of the three might spin a bit. But so far, it looks like the first two won’t.”