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Australia National Cricket Team was up against the South Africa National Cricket Team for a three-match Test series. They lost the series 1-2 away from home. Ahead of their next Test series against the New Zealand National Cricket Team, they have taken a call on batter Marnus Labuschagne, who has been going through a poor phase in recent times.
Marnus Labuschagne was backed by the Australia selectors and the captain despite his poor form. But he failed to live up to the backing, as the batter did not enjoy his time in South Africa, failing to score a single fifty in the series. He has now been dropped from the Test squad after several backings.
"We won't be considering Marn for selection": George Bailey drops Marnus Labuschagne
While speaking to the media, George Bailey, the chairman of selectors for the Aussies, stated that they are not considering Marnus Labuschagne for the forthcoming series against the Kiwis. There has been a lot of talk about the No.3 spot for the batter, and despite being dropped, Bailey thinks it would help the batter to clear his head and get back to his best form through the next round of Shield matches.
"At this stage we won't be considering Marn for selection for certainly that first Test, but for the New Zealand series," Bailey told media today. "There's been a lot of speculation around his place in the team, and so I think this gives him a little bit of space and clears up a bit of conjecture as we work through the next round of Shield cricket."
Marnus Labuschagne's recent Test form
Marnus Labuschagne has been going through a rough phase, as he has been one of the worst Australia batters in their 147-year history after he failed to go past the 40-run mark in the series against the Proteas, extending his run to 49 innings now without a ton. He finished the series against South Africa with 131 runs, with a highest score of 39.
The last Test century he scored was back in the 2023 Ashes series at Old Trafford, Manchester. He surpassed the record of Alick Bannerman’s 47-innings drought (1879-93) for the longest century drought by an Australian top-four batter. With him no longer being considered in the squad, is Marnus's time at the national team over, or will he try to make a comeback?
"It's still possible": George Bailey considers Marnus Labuschagne's comeback
Adding to Marnus’s comeback, George Bailey stated that there is a possibility for the 32-year-old batter to yet again play for the Kangaroos, and he believes that the batter is highly skilled and effective but has failed to perform at his very best. Bailey would like him to come back ahead of the India and England series.
"It's still possible, absolutely," he 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 hasn't happened. But I don't think we've ever ruled anyone out permanently ... and that's no different in this case."
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