Labuschagne facing axe as training photo hints at major Test overhaul
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There is growing speculation Marnus Labuschagne will be dropped for the Test series decider in South Africa.
Journalists covering the tour on the ground noted the under-fire No.3 did not play his usual part in a training session on Sunday night (AEDT).
Marnus Labuschagne did not bat as usual. Bharat Sundaresan
Labuschagne, 32, was instead “locked in lengthy discussions with (coach) Andrew McDonald and Steve Smith”, according to reporter Ben Cameron.
Respected journalist Bharat Sundaresan noted “this was his routine in the Caribbean last year”.
The implication is Labuschagne was last dropped from the Test team during last year’s series against the West Indies.
He was axed in favour of Australia experimenting with Cameron Green batting at No.3, with Sam Konstas opening alongside Usman Khawaja.
Khawaja has since retired and Konstas wasn’t picked for South Africa – and has instead been making Sheffield Shield centuries for fun – while Green missed the first two matches through injury.
Green, though, is fit and ready to go for the third match in Cape Town, which will decide the series as it sits at 1-1.
Opening batter Nic Maddinson is also in the gun after struggling in the first two matches, with speculation Matt Renshaw will be promoted up the order to open alongside Travis Head.
Green will come in and bat at either three, four, or five, while Josh Inglis has also recovered from a finger injury and will come into calculations.
Maddinson looks likely to either drop down the order or out of the team altogether, while Beau Webster is clinging to his spot after meagre returns in Durban and Gqeberha.
Labuschagne once averaged above 60 in Test cricket, but that has steadily dropped to 43.36 from his 67 matches.
He has not scored a Test century since July 2023 and has managed four starts in South Africa so far, but has failed to make it to 40 in an innings yet.
Marnus Labuschagne looks frustrated after being dismissed for 37. AP Photo/Themba Hadebe
Intriguingly, when he did finally get a bat during Sunday’s session, the team’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto was nowhere to be seen, according to The Age journalist Daniel Brettig.
Labuschagne was highly criticised for his second-innings dismissal last week when Australia was desperately trying to hang on for a draw.
As for Green, he will be hoping to come in and emulate his most recent Test form after breaking a century drought against Bangladesh in the Top End in August.
He missed the first two matches in South Africa after suffering an abdominal injury during a one-day international.
“It was really bizarre. I think there’s definitely a pretty clear link between getting hit and then doing the injury – I think it’s too much of a coincidence for them not to be related,” Green told media of the ODI injury.
“I got hit where you don’t want to get hit, and then yeah, two balls later, I went to go just play a shot just behind the wicket.
“I had to lengthen my muscle, and I think my muscle was pretty keen to not move at that stage after I got hit. I think the stretching of the muscle … just had a tear through.
“My immediate thoughts were talking to the medical staff and seeing what they thought, how long the timeline would be. And it’s quite a unique injury. There’s not many people that have done the injury but then tried to play a few weeks later, so they didn’t have much to go off.
“So I just stayed around the group until I’d heard further, depending on how I was tracking. Luckily enough, it’s all good to go for the last game.”
The third Test match gets underway in Cape Town on Tuesday evening (AEDT).
It is Australia’s first Test match in Cape Town since the infamous 2018 ball tampering scandal.
Possible Aussie XI for third Test
Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Nic Maddinson, Josh Inglis, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon/Scott Boland
