Marnus Labuschagne cops new blow as Cameron Green and Sam Konstas news confirmed

Yahoo

10-02-2025

Marnus Labuschagne's battle to retain his Test spot could get even trickier amid fresh developments around Cameron Green and Sam Konstas, and an admission from coach Andrew McDonald that a selection 'squeeze' is imminent. Green looms as potentially the biggest threat to Labuschagne, with Konstas expected to return to the top of the order and Travis Head to move back to No.5 for June's World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa.
Calls are growing louder for Labuschagne to be axed from the Aussie XI following a steady decline in form over the last couple of years. He's only averaged 25.36 with the bat after a largely disappointing series against India and then again in Sri Lanka. That came after an equally disappointing previous year for Labuschagne, where he averaged just 27.08 across the summer of 2023/24.
Labuschagne did score the winning runs in Australia's second Test victory in Galle after finishing with 26 not out but it did little to mask his meagre totals of four in the first innings, to go with a 20 in the opening Test. The Queenslander was the only one of Australia's specialist batters who failed to cash in against Sri Lanka, and the 30-year-old looks worryingly down on confidence, which does not bode well for his prospects.
Meanwhile, Green is on track in his recovery from a long-term back injury and is very much in the thoughts of Aussie selectors, ahead of the WTC final. And McDonald has confirmed reports from the UK that the all-rounder is set for a stint in English county cricket with second division side Gloucestershire. "Cameron Green, he's going to play some county cricket, I think it's been put to press that he's looking at Gloucestershire," the Australia coach said.
Green had minor spinal surgery in October but has been back up and running for a month and resumed bowling in the nets around two weeks ago. It's likely he'll return as a specialist batter only, with Green likely to be eased back into bowling duties. It's understood Western Australia coach Adam Voges has kept the door open for Green to return to the Sheffield Shield, before his county stint in the UK. If all goes well, the 25-year-old could certainly emerge as a potential candidate to replace Labuschagne.
McDonald says he's also keen to see Konstas get some experience in English county cricket after the 19-year-old was surprisingly sent home from the Sri Lanka tour without featuring. Aussie officials wanted Konstas to return to the Sheffield Shield with NSW and get experience batting on wickets - such as the Gabba - which he has never previously played on - with one eye on the Ashes later in the year.
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"I'd love to see him play county cricket," Australia's coach said about Konstas after the Sri Lanka series. "What involvement we have in that is very minimal … the only thing we can do is endorse that he's a very good player, and hopefully a county picks him up.
"It will be a great learning curve if he could get into those conditions. Every game seems to be an opportunity to learn, he's so raw and young, and that was (behind) the decision to send him home to Brisbane. He hadn't played at the Gabba, we've got a Test match coming up in Australia at the Gabba so there's a little bit of connection there."
Josh Inglis is another batter putting pressure on Labuschagne after justifying his maiden Test selection with a stunning century on debut in the first Test against Sri Lanka. McDonald said selectors believe Inglis "can (play) across all conditions" and suggested when all candidates are fit and available that there would be some unlucky players to miss out. "I think that's legitimate there will be a squeeze," McDonald said.
Green is highly regarded within the Australian setup and has been tipped to enjoy a long future in Test cricket but whether he comes straight back into the Aussie XI remains to be seen. While Inglis has proven that he belongs on the big stage and will surely come into calculations for the WTC final, as Labuschagne battles to hold onto his spot.