Marnus Labuschagne dropped for New Zealand Test series amid prolonged dip in form

Australia have taken an early call on Labuschagne's immediate future, with selection chair George Bailey confirming that the right-handed batter will not be part of the team's plans for the upcoming trans-Tasman series, which begins in Perth on December 9, according to the ICC website.

Labuschagne has struggled to deliver consistent performances in recent months, managing just 131 runs across six innings in Australia's recent three-match series against South Africa.

The 32-year-old has also been unable to register a Test century since 2023, raising questions about his place in Australia's batting line-up. Labuschagne was once among the leading batters in Test cricket, reaching the top of the ICC Test batting rankings in 2021. However, his recent struggles have seen him slip to 40th in the latest rankings.

"At this stage we won't be considering Marn (Labuschagne) for selection for certainly that first Test, but for the New Zealand series," Bailey said on Monday, as quoted by ICC Website. "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."

Bailey indicated that Labuschagne could still return to the Test side in the future, with Australia's busy 2027 schedule, including tours of India and England, offering further opportunities.

"It's still possible, absolutely. 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," Bailey added.

Australia are yet to name their squad for the series against New Zealand, with Bailey indicating his side has a group of players currently outside the Test setup that are putting their hand up for selection.

"There's a handful of players that are really well placed at the moment as we work through that over the next week or so to finalise how we think that squad in particular will structure up, and the options we'll have within that," Bailey added.

Series schedule, as per ICC Website:

First Test: December 9-13, PerthSecond Test: December 17-21, AdelaideThird Test: December 26-30, MelbourneFourth Test: January 4-8, Sydney. (ANI)