Labuschagne Survives Axe as Selectors Back Under-Fire No.3 for South Africa Tour

Marnus Labuschagne has retained his place in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming three-match tour of South Africa, as selectors opted for continuity over upheaval despite the No.3’s extended run of poor form.

The 16-man squad, announced on Monday, features the same 13 players from Australia’s last Test in Mackay, with Cooper Connolly, Michael Neser and Matthew Kuhnemann also included. The decision to stick with Labuschagne comes after mounting scrutiny over his performances, with the right-hander averaging just 24.69 in his last 43 Test innings and without a century since July 2023.

Labuschagne was dropped from Australia’s ODI squad for the tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa that precede the Test series, but selectors have resisted the temptation to drop him from the longest format despite scores of 1, 31 and 4 in his three innings against Bangladesh.

Bailey: ‘We’re Not Shying Away’

“We’re not shying away from the fact that we’d like some more runs from Marn. That’s clear,” Australia chair of selectors George Bailey said on Monday. “But we’re also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad.”

Bailey suggested that Labuschagne’s absence from the one-day series could work in his favour, allowing him to focus entirely on red-ball preparation. “There’s potentially a simplification or an ability to focus purely on red-ball cricket for him in the fact that he won’t be in the one-day series leading up to it. So that may be a benefit.”

Connolly Earns Surprise Call-Up

The selectors have added Cooper Connolly as the other batter in the squad that faced Bangladesh in the second Test. Connolly’s selection is notable given his modest first-class record: he does not have a first-class century and has only batted once at No.3 and once at No.4 in 21 first-class innings.

He was dropped by Western Australia for the final Sheffield Shield match last summer when available as a specialist bat only, but a stunning ODI century against Bangladesh as opener in June appears to have accelerated his progress. Bailey backed Connolly to develop into a top-three option.

“I think he will be able to,” Bailey said. “Whether that’s now, whether that’s in the future. He’s still so young in his career, but I think his ability to bat in a range of positions will continue to grow as he gets more and more experience.”

Josh Inglis is the other spare batter and wicketkeeper in the squad, with Bailey confident he too could bat in the top three if required. Matt Renshaw has been retained as opener after replacing Jake Weatherald against Bangladesh, with Weatherald not included in the larger squad.

Opening Debate Lingers

Renshaw and Travis Head look set to remain as openers, with no other specialist opener selected. The debate over whether Head should be moved back to No.5 and Steven Smith promoted to No.3 remains unresolved, though Bailey acknowledged the conversation would take place.

“Any time you do make a move, it’s what are you taking away from where they are performing, and that’s always going to be a question, particularly around Travis,” Bailey said. “Steve has batted at three for a large part of his career. Hasn’t done it for a little while, and has had success there. So absolutely, that’ll be a conversation at some point.”

Kuhnemann Returns as Spinner Option

Matthew Kuhnemann is a surprise inclusion as an additional spinner. He was the second spinner in the World Test Championship final squad against South Africa and for the tour of West Indies that followed in 2025, but was overlooked for the Ashes squad in December when Todd Murphy was called ahead of him.

Australia are unlikely to pick two spinners in South Africa, and there is a possibility they may not pick one at all if conditions favour seam bowlers in Durban, Gqeberha and Cape Town. Kuhnemann’s inclusion will, however, assist Australia’s batters in preparing for South Africa’s spinner Keshav Maharaj.

                                               

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