Australia have announced a squad update for the upcoming West Indies Tests, leaving out Marnus Labuschagne and confirming Steve Smith's absence for the series opener.
The Australian team will enter the West Indies tour without two of their batting pillars. While Steve Smith has been officially ruled out due to injury only for the first Test, the management will be keeping a close eye on him and hope he recovers for the second game.
Labuschagne has been dropped after an extended lean patch, culminating in a twin failure in the World Test Championship final, where he was pushed to open and returned with scores of 17 and 22.
In their place, Australia have opted to bring in Josh Inglis and Sam Konstas.
Also read: Australia seamer out of West Indies Tests
WI vs AUS: What is Steve Smith's injury status?
Smith injured his right little finger during the WTC final while attempting a catch, leading to a compound dislocation. A surgery is not required, but the finger will be in 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," chair of selectors George Bailey said.
As of now, Smith is out of the first Test.
WI vs AUS: Labuschagne dropped
Once a sure-shot entry into an Australian Test XI, Labuschagne has been battling a loss of form for the last two years now. His last Test century came in the 2023 Ashes.
In fact, in 24 innings since the start of 2024, he averages 26.71 with six fifties and a best of 90. This year, the average is down to 16.16, with a best of 26* from seven innings.
Speaking about Labuschagne, Bailey said: “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.”
Updated: Australia Test squad v West Indies
Pat Cummins (c), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann, Sam Konstas
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