Marnus Labuschagne has survived the chop.
Under mounting scrutiny and with his numbers sliding year on year, the 32-year-old has retained his place in Australia’s Test squad for the three-match tour of South Africa, starting in Durban on October 9.
It is Australia’s first Test trip back to South Africa since the Sandpapergate series of 2018, a tour forever etched into the game’s scar tissue. This time, the talking point is not scandal but faith — specifically, the faith shown in a once-prolific No. 3 whose returns have grown lean.
Labuschagne given another lifeline
Labuschagne has not reached three figures in Test cricket since the 2023 Ashes. Across formats and conditions, the output has steadily tailed off: an average of 34.91 in 2023, then 30.93 in 2024, 20.84 in 2025, and 24.20 so far this year.
His most recent series, against Bangladesh, brought scores of 1, 31 and 4. Hardly the numbers of an automatic pick.
Yet his name was there on Monday when selectors unveiled a 16-man group for the Tests in Durban and beyond. He has been overlooked for the white-ball leg of the tour, but the door to the Test XI remains open. For now, Australia are backing class over current form.
Connolly rewarded as selectors load up on options
The squad itself carries a slightly experimental edge. All-rounder Cooper Connolly has been named in an extended group, a clear sign that the selectors want flexibility on a condensed trip that also features six one-day internationals.
Connolly, 21, owns a first-class batting average of 42 from 13 matches and already has a taste of Test cricket after debuting in Galle against Sri Lanka last year. He joins Nathan Lyon and Matthew Kuhnemann to give Australia three spin options for South African conditions that can range from abrasive turners to lively seamers.
Chair of selectors George Bailey underlined the demands of the schedule, noting the three Tests sit tightly on the back of those ODIs with only short breaks between games. The message in the squad is obvious: depth, variety, and the ability to shuffle roles as the series unfolds.
Fast-bowling cartel intact, Weatherald misses again
The pace attack remains familiar and formidable. Captain Pat Cummins leads a fast-bowling unit that includes Josh Hazlewood, Mitchell Starc, Scott Boland and Michael Neser. Between them, they cover every angle: high pace, relentless line and length, left-arm variety, and a seasoned swing-and-seam specialist in Neser.
At the top of the order, though, there is no reprieve for Jake Weatherald. Dropped for Matthew Renshaw after Australia’s defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin, the opener has been overlooked again, with Renshaw retaining his place as the preferred option.
Josh Inglis travels as reserve wicketkeeper behind Alex Carey, while Cameron Green and Beau Webster give Australia extra all-round depth — Green as the established Test presence, Webster as the tall, multi-skilled option who can plug gaps with bat and ball.
Full Australia Test squad for South Africa
- Pat Cummins (NSW/Penrith Cricket Club) (c)
- Scott Boland (VIC/Frankston Peninsula Cricket Club)
- Alex Carey (SA/Glenelg Cricket Club)
- Cooper Connolly (WA/Scarborough Cricket Club)
- Cameron Green (WA/Subiaco-Floreat Cricket Club)
- Josh Hazlewood (NSW/St George Cricket Club)
- Travis Head (SA/Tea Tree Gully Cricket Club)
- Josh Inglis (WA/Joondalup Cricket Club)
- Matthew Kuhnemann (TAS/Clarence Cricket Club)
- Marnus Labuschagne (QLD/Redlands Cricket Club)
- Nathan Lyon (NSW/Northern District Cricket Club)
- Michael Neser (QLD/Gold Coast Cricket Club)
- Matthew Renshaw (QLD/Toombul Cricket Club)
- Steve Smith (NSW/Sutherland Cricket Club)
- Mitchell Starc (NSW/Manly Warringah Cricket Club)
- Beau Webster (TAS/Kingborough Cricket Club)
Australia return to South Africa with scars healed but memories fresh. For Labuschagne in particular, this tour offers something more personal: not redemption for 2018, but a chance to prove that his own golden era with the bat is not already in the past.
