Labuschagne axed from Australia Test squad for New Zealand series

Marnus Labuschagne has been left out of Australia's Test squad for the entire four-match series against New Zealand, chairman of selectors George Bailey confirmed on Monday.

The decision was made early, with the first Test not due to start until 9 December in Perth, but Bailey and his panel chose to settle the question before the rest of the squad is named at the end of round four of the Sheffield Shield.

Labuschagne's exclusion follows a torrid tour of South Africa, where he managed just 131 runs from six innings at an average of 21.83, with scores of zero, four, 14, 39, 37 and 37. The run has stretched his wait for a Test century to 49 innings.

Bailey said the call was designed to give the 32-year-old clear air after a long stretch of speculation about his place in the side. "This gives him a little bit of space and clears up a bit of conjecture... and we'll pick the rest of that squad at the end of round four of Sheffield Shield," he said.

The selector was careful to stress the door has not closed for good. "It's still possible [he will be recalled after the trans-Tasman Test series], absolutely," Bailey said. "He's always been an incredible performer at first-class level. So I expect that'll be the case."

Australia's next assignments after the home New Zealand series are tours of India and England, both scheduled for 2027, and Bailey indicated Labuschagne remains in the selectors' thinking for those trips rather than being written off altogether.

"There's no message to go back and do anything in particular, the currency is pretty obvious," Bailey said, pointing to runs as the only route back.

Labuschagne's output stands in sharp contrast to the form that first made his name. He scored ten centuries in his opening 33 Tests, at one stage averaging 59.43 and sitting as the world's top-ranked batter, with some pundits even floating him as a future national captain.

That early promise has not translated into consistency over the past year. He was dropped briefly for last year's tour of the West Indies, only to force his way back into the side after scoring two centuries for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield, a return in form that carried him through the home Ashes series.

Bailey acknowledged the gap between Labuschagne's peak and his recent output. "We all know how good and how effective Marnus can be at his best, but that performance hasn't been there," he said. "He's pragmatic, he knows that the fundamental nature of being a batter in the top six is to score runs and that just hasn't happened."

Labuschagne will now return to lead Queensland in the Sheffield Shield as he attempts to rebuild both his form and his case for a recall, with the national selectors watching the domestic competition closely before finalising their squad for the New Zealand series.