Australia will not select Labuschagne for New Zealand Test series

Australia has left Marnus Labuschagne out of the squad for the four-match home Test series against New Zealand. The series starts in Perth on 9 December, but the squad has not yet been announced.

Selection chair George Bailey said Labuschagne is not part of the selectors' plans. Bailey noted that since the player returned to the side for last winter's Ashes series, he has averaged 23.66 in 10 Tests. The 32-year-old scored 131 runs in three Tests during the 2-1 series defeat in South Africa, averaging 21.83 in those matches. Since the 2023 Ashes series, he has batted 49 times but has yet to score a Test century.

Bailey said Labuschagne could return to the squad for the India tour and next summer's Ashes series in England. Bailey said everyone knows how effective the player can be at his best, but added that this level of performance has not yet shown up.

Labuschagne was briefly dropped from the squad for last year's West Indies tour and later returned for the 2025-26 Ashes series. With Queensland, he scored five centuries in 10 innings across red-ball and one-day matches. Bailey said the plan is for the player to focus on performing well for Queensland.