Australia drops Marnus Labuschagne for the opening Test against West Indies

The Australian management has taken a bold step before taking on the West Indies tour. Marnus Labuschagne has lost his spot in the Australian squad for the opening Test in the Caribbean. The batting order further showcases another change as Steve Smith remains absent from the proceedings. The seasoned batter sustained an injury on his little finger while fielding in the WTC Final at Lord's. Smith is yet to recover fully from that blow and has consequently vacated a spot in the Australian lineup for the upcoming fixture. Meanwhile, Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis have walked into the combination of the Kangaroos.

Marnus Labuschagne faces the axe as Australia confirm Sam Konstas to open the West Indies Tour

Opportunities have dried up for Marnus Labuschagne in the baggy greens following a consistent lacklustre show. Most recently, the batter was handed the opening spot in the WTC Final against South Africa at Lord's. Instead of calling in Sam Konstas to open alongside Usman Khawaja, the Aussies relied on Labuschagne to charge up the order. However, the move didn't bear any fruit for the defending champions in the summit clash. In a battle that Australia lost by 5 wickets, Labuschagne struggled to reach 17 off 56 in the opening innings and 22 off 64 in the next.

Now, as Australia head into the new WTC Cycle after losing the title to South Africa, the squad features the bold mindset of the team. Australia will head to the West Indies for a three-match Test series before the focus shifts to a five-match T20I run. The Australia tour of West Indies is slated to kick-start on June 25 at Kensington Oval in Barbados. Pat Cummins will lead the team, with the regular picks like Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, and Alex Carey retaining their spots.

In an official release, Cricket Australia confirmed that Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis would replace Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith in the lineup for the opening Test against the West Indies. Labuschagne's struggle with his form is unfortunately not a new occurrence. In 22 matches played since the start of 2024, Labuschagne has scored 522 runs at an average of 27.47.

Moreover, it's been over a year since the batter scored a ton. In the last WTC Cycle, Labuschagne managed 935 runs in 36 innings, averaging 28.33. The gamble to play the seasoned pick as an opener in the WTC Final also failed Australia, triggering the management to take a bold step ahead of the new start.

"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," Selection Chair George Bailey said in a statement. "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."

Sam Konstas debuted for Australia during the Border Gavaskar Trophy, starting his Test career with an impressive half-century against India. While Konstas missed a call for the WTC Final, the youngster is headed to grab the opening spot alongside Khawaja. Meanwhile, as Steve Smith deals with the injury to his little finger, Josh Inglis gets to hold the crucial spot in the middle for Australia.

"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. "We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers."

Australia's squad for West Indies Tests

Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

West Indies Test squad

Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales