Australia unveiled its squad for the three away Tests against the West Indies, with some prominent changes compared to the one that was selected for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
Australia’s batting mainstay, Marnus Labuschagne, has finally run out of time and been dropped from the squad. Considering his silent outings with the bat and a Test century drought, Labuschagne was promoted to the opening slot in the WTC final against South Africa, reported ESPNcricinfo.
During his outing at Lord’s, which was the last act of faith from selectors, Labuschagne returned with scores of 17 and 22, continuing with his elongated lean patch in Test format.
“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,” chair of selectors George Bailey said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.
Apart from the 30-year-old star, Australia’s talismanic batter Steve Smith has been ruled out of the series opener in the Caribbean, scheduled to begin on June 25. On the third day of the pulsating contest against the Proteas, Smith was sent to the hospital after he suffered a compound dislocation of his right little finger while fielding in the slip cordon.
South Africa captain Temba Bavuma edged the ball towards Smith, who tried to grab the opportunity with quick reflexes but eventually fumbled it, hurting his finger in the process. The 36-year-old decided to avoid surgery but has to wear a splint for eight weeks.
“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.
Without Labuschagne and Smith, the young and explosive Sam Konstas will earn his third Test cap after his enchanting display in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.