Australia drop Labuschagne for New Zealand Test series

Australia has dropped Marnus Labuschagne for the four-Test series at home to New Zealand, set to begin in Perth on December 9. The decision comes after Labuschagne's poor performance, as he averaged only 23.66 in 10 Tests since returning to the side for last winter's Ashes. During the recent 2-1 series defeat in South Africa, he managed just 131 runs in three Tests, with an average of 21.83, and he has not scored a Test century in his last 49 innings, with his last coming during the 2023 Ashes in England.

Chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed the decision, stating that Labuschagne will not be considered for selection. He noted, "I just wanted to clear that up as there’s going to be, or has been, a lot of speculation around his place in the team. I think this gives him a little bit of space and clears up a bit of conjecture."

Bailey did not rule out the possibility of Labuschagne being recalled for the tour of India early next year or for the Ashes series next summer in England, saying, "It’s still possible, absolutely. I think we all know how good and how effective Marnus can be at his best. But that performance hasn’t been there."

The 32-year-old had previously excelled in his early career, striking 10 centuries in his first 30 Tests and briefly achieving the No. 1 rank in the ICC batting rankings. He was also dropped during last year’s tour of the West Indies but returned to the team for the 2025-26 Ashes, having scored five centuries in 10 innings for Queensland.

Bailey expressed confidence in Labuschagne's ability to bounce back, stating, "He’s always been an incredible performer at first-class level, so I expect that that’ll be the case [again]. The plan is just to go back and focus on playing as well as he can for Queensland for a period of time."

After facing New Zealand in Perth, Australia will meet the Black Caps in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney before traveling to India for a five-Test series starting January 21. Prior to this, Australia’s next assignment will be a series of white-ball matches at home to England, beginning with a three-match ODI series in Perth on November 13.