Labuschagne dropped for New Zealand Test series

Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey has confirmed that Marnus Labuschagne will not be considered for selection for the upcoming four-Test series against New Zealand.

Bailey told reporters on Monday that the national selection panel had made the decision to announce Labuschagne's axing now to allow him to go back to captain Queensland in the Sheffield Shield without the conjecture hanging over his head.

Selectors are due to pick Australia's Test squad for the first Test against New Zealand after the fourth Shield round which starts on Wednesday.

"We won't be considering Marn for selection for certainly for that first Test, but [also] for the New Zealand series," Bailey said. "And the reason I just wanted to clear that up today is I think there's going to be or has been a lot of speculation around his around his place in the team.

"So I think this gives him a little bit of space and clears up a bit of conjecture as we work through the the next round of Shield cricket, and we'll pick the rest of that squad at the end of the completion of round four of Sheffield Shield."

Since returning to the side for last season's Ashes, Labuschagne averaged 23.66 from 10 Tests and has made a half-century in 16 innings. His century drought dates back to the fourth Test of the 2023 series against England

Bailey indicated that Labuschagne could force his way into consideration for the tours of India and England next year.

"It's still possible, absolutely," Bailey said. "And I think we all know how good and how effective Marnus can be at his best. But that performance hasn't been there. I think he's missed some opportunities, some promising starts in Darwin and even in South Africa as well to go on and get a big score that we'd like and would have liked for some time and that just that just hasn't happened. I don't think we've ever ruled anyone out permanently to ever not be selected again, and that's no different in this."

Bailey admitted there will be a challenge in terms of recalling him based off domestic form given when he was dropped in 2025 he score five centuries in 10 domestic innings for Queensland across two formats before being recalled for the Ashes, only to fail to find the same prolific scoring at Test level again.

"He's always been an incredible performer at first-class level," Bailey said. "So I expect that that'll be the case [again]. So yeah, there's no message to go back and do anything in particular. I mean, I think the currency is pretty obvious, but he's had a long run in that role, albeit with the gap during that West Indies series and post that back at domestic cricket. So for him, I think the the plan is just to go back and focus on playing as well as he can for Queensland for a period of time."

Bailey added the selectors were close to knowing what the final squad - expected to be 14 names - would look like but there is a chance for the next round of the Shield to shape the final decisions.

"We've got some thoughts around what that squad is starting to look like as it is, but it's nice to be in a position where I still think there's some great opportunities for players coming up," he said. "But I always I don't like the idea of a bat-off or a bowl-off in a one-off game, so I don't think it'll necessarily move the dial an enormous amount, but it certainly still has the potential to."

Availability of players for the next two rounds of the Shield ahead of the New Zealand series was also confirmed with Steven Smith expected to face Queensland from November 22 providing he gets signed off medically from the neck injury that curtailed his series against South Africa.

Travis Head and Matt Renshaw won't played a Shield match before the New Zealand series, instead given a break following the ODIs against England. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood will also sit out before the Tests.

Michael Neser, Matt Kuhnemann, Beau Webster and Nathan Lyon are available from round four this week with Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis set for round five, alongside Smith, having been left out of the T20I squad to face England. Scott Boland's availability for round five remains to be confirmed.