Marnus survives as test squad revealed | 02:46
Dane Heverin, Courtney Walsh and Tim Miller from Fox SportsSeptember 7th, 2026 12:55 pm
Marnus Labuschagne’s reprieve from Australia’s selectors might not be all it seems as a host of questions arise from the 16-player squad to tour South Africa next month announced on Monday.
There were no casualties from the squad that trounced Bangladesh in two days in Mackay last month, but the additions of Cooper Connolly, Michael Neser and Matthew Kuhnemann offer selectors the chance to reconfigure the puzzle.
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Chairman of selectors George Bailey explained the reasoning behind their show of faith in Labuschagne, but stopped short of offering any guarantees to some of the incumbents.
Connolly’s selection is not only an eye to the future, but the 23-year-old’s versatility may throw a spanner in the works for several members of the teams in the midst of a lean run at Test level.
The unusual timing of this South African tour
The unusual timing of this South African tour – before the Australian summer truly begins rather than afterwards as has traditionally been the case – could also force the Australians into a rethink of how they tackle the Proteas for the first time since surrendering their World Test Championship mace to them.
And for the first time since the chaos of Sandpapergate in 2018.
Here are the biggest talking points from Australia’s Test squad announcement for the tour of South Africa!
‘We’d like some more runs from Marnus’ | 00:46
WHY MARNUS’ REPRIEVE MIGHT NOT BE ALL IT SEEMS
With no standout contender to take his place, Marnus Labuschagne has been afforded another lifeline by George Bailey and co.
But it does not mean he is off the hook.
We’re not shying away from the fact we’d
“We’re not shying away from the fact we’d like some more runs from Marn’,” Bailey told reporters on Monday morning.
“That’s clear, but we’re also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad.”
Labuschagne’s selection in the 16-man squad does not guarantee he will walk at No.3 in the first Test in Durban on October 9.
I appreciate the interest in it, Bailey said
“I appreciate the interest in it,” Bailey said when asked if Labuschagne is a lock for the series opener.
“We’ll get a much clearer picture of what that XI looks like once we get over there,” he added.
Bailey identified that the recalled Cooper Connolly “ultimately, will be able to” occupy Australia’s Test top order at some stage in his career.
While the former Australian ODI and T20 skipper
While the former Australian ODI and T20 skipper shared that a conversation about Steve Smith returning to first drop – where he averages 65.22 at Test level – will “absolutely” take place in the lead-up to the first Test.
“Any of that batting group ultimately,” Bailey replied when asked who else could bat at No.3.
“We’ve spoken to that in the past. Players can be flexible with where they bat.
As it stands now, Marn’ is the incumbent
“As it stands now, Marn’ is the incumbent in that position and we are confident he can contribute positively there.”
Bailey also stated that it was not a case of last chance saloon for the Queenslander who was dropped from the side during last year’s tour of Caribbean.
“No, I wouldn’t say that,” he said.
Labuschagne running the drinks, as he did in the West Indies, could lead to a significant reshuffle.
Australia felt the pinch of a top order
Australia felt the pinch of a top order reshuffle when they lost the World Test Championship final to South Africa last year.
Labuschagne was pushed up to open alongside Usman Khawaja with Cameron Green batting at No.3 – where he remained in the West Indies – but it did not work.
In such an important series for Australia’s hopes of making the WTC final for a third straight time, it is unlikely that Andrew McDonald and Pat Cummins will get overly experimental.
The two batting options named in the squad
The two batting options named in the squad who did not play against Bangladesh are Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly – both of whom bat in the middle order in Sheffield Shield cricket for Western Australia.
It would be a big ask to throw them in at No.3 against the Proteas’ fiery attack, with the likes of Marco Jansen, Lungi Ngidi and 20-year-old left arm tearaway Kwena Maphaka still an imposing proposition despite Kagiso Rabada’s hamstring injury.
If they were instead thrust in their most natural position in the middle order, it would force either Steve Smith or Cameron Green to return to first drop.
The problem with that is they are settled
The problem with that is they are settled at No.4 and No.5 with Green scoring his first century on home soil in Darwin.
And No.3 is the place no one wants to bat in the modern game.
Labuschagne’s struggles against India and England in the past two home summers have been well-documented – he scored five half-centuries in 19 innings in that stretch.
But this Australian team like to lot at data like percentage of runs scored in a match and comparisons to the opposition.
Jacob Bethell was the first No.3 to score
Jacob Bethell was the first No.3 to score a Test century in Australia since Labuschagne piled on 163 against the West Indies in Adelaide in 2022.
On spicier pitches, the going has been tough for those in the spot that used to be often reserved for the nation’s finest player.
“Our batting group in its entirety, not just Marn’, probably hasn’t been functioning as successfully as we would like,” Bailey said.
But also not shying away from the fact
“But also not shying away from the fact that we’ve continued to win a lot of Test matches over that the period – and ultimately I think that’s the key isn’t it? Scoring more runs than the opposition.”
And Labuschagne’s ability to pile on the runs when stepping back to play for Queensland offers some salvation too.
So does the fact that two-Test man Kurtis Patterson and Tasmania’s Tim Ward were the only regular No.3 to feature in the Shield’s top ten leading run scorers last season.
Neither of whom were in the top five.
Plus, they are backing Labuschagne to benefit
Plus, they are backing Labuschagne to benefit from narrowing his focus after being axed from the ODI squad last week.
“There’s potentially a simplification, an ability to focus purely on red ball cricket with the fact he won’t be in the one-day series leading up to it,” he said.
“That may be of benefit. I’m not sure, but you know Marn’, he will prepare incredibly well specifically for this tour.
In that squad of 16, I’m positive
“In that squad of 16, I’m positive that he can still make a positive contribution.”
It is clear that the belief within the Australian set-up is that Labuschange is still the man for the job.
“Obviously Marnus is a world-class player,” all-rounder Beau Webster told foxsports.com.au at the SCG on Monday morning.
We saw what he’s capable
“We saw what he’s capable of at his best, and obviously, he hasn’t been his best the last few years. If you can still get back to somewhere around there, he’s still a pretty formidable player.
“So obviously it hasn’t been easy batting where he does at number three in international cricket in Australia and around the world at the moment – the wickets have been drastically different from a couple of decades ago.
“He’s obviously working through some things. But like I said before, at his best, he’s as good as anyone. So I dare say that’s why the selectors have held faith with him, through that lens.”
Labuschagne dropped from ODI squad | 02:23
Cooper Connolly’s first-class stats last summer do not
Cooper Connolly’s first-class stats last summer do not suggest a Test recall was in the offing, but chairman of selectors George Bailey said it was “one of the nicer phone calls” he had to make.
Four Sheffield Shield appearances for Western Australia yielded 216 runs at 30.85 with two-half centuries – substantially lower than his career average of 42.10.
Like England’s Jacob Bethell, Connolly had never scored a professional century before stepping into the international arena.
The 23-year-old’s highest first-class score of 90 came
The 23-year-old’s highest first-class score of 90 came on debut in a Shield final two years ago.
Last year, Australian cricket was shocked when he was awarded a baggy green after just three first-class appearances to bat at No.8 and bowl left arm spin in Galle – he made just 4 and failed to take a wicket in only five overs.
But this time around the focus is purely on his batting – having not bowled for most of the year due to a back issue, although he is set to bowl again in the ODI series that precedes the Test matches.
Primarily picked in this squad as a batsman,
“Primarily picked in this squad as a batsman,” Bailey clarified when speaking to reports on Monday morning.
“But yeah that secondary skill set may come into consideration depending on what sort of conditions we do face in South Africa.”
Despite largely being confined to the middle order for Western Australia, Bailey believes he could be a long term top order option at Test level.
He’s still so young in his first class
“He’s still so young in his first class career isn’t he? That’ll continue to develop,” he said of Connolly’s top order credentials.
“He’s got a game that’s well-suited to the middle order, but no doubt as he matures and continues to grow his game, there’s a capacity there where he can bat further up the order as we have seen that in shorter form cricket.”
Connolly has clearly been a player the Australian selectors have had in their sights for some time, and this time around they have been buoyed by a breakout year in white-ball cricket.
The left-hander went ballistic under the guidance
The left-hander went ballistic under the guidance of Ricky Ponting with the Punjab Kings in the IPL – smashing 491 runs at 44.63 with a strike rate of 163.12, including a century.
He followed that up by smashing a match-winning maiden ODI century in Bangladesh in June.
They were the performances that justified that belief of the likes of Australian T20 captain and Connolly’s state teammate Mitch Marsh that the youngster was “born to play international cricket”.
He’s just a ripping young kid
“He’s just a ripping young kid. He loves learning and wants to keep getting better,” Marsh told foxsports.com.au.
“(There are) certain things you can’t really teach, (and one is) he’s just not afraid of anything. And, I think, that’s maybe a bit in the younger generation. They love to get out there and challenge themselves.
“Yeah, I think he’s born for international cricket, just with his temperament (and) the way he goes about it. He’s young. He’s going to fail. There’s going to be times where we need to be patient with guys like that. “But I’m looking forward to hopefully him getting an opportunity and, if not, just him being around that group will only benefit him moving forward and benefit the team.
He’s really just a lovely young kid
“He’s really just a lovely young kid and I’m hoping that he plays for Australia for as long as he can, and I’m grateful that I’m getting to play with a young West Australian man who has found his way in our white ball teams, and he’s going to be a really important part for us moving forward.”
Joel Davies named in Australia ODI squad | 02:30
PRESSURE ON LYON?
A constant talking point of the last 12 months has been the role of the spinner in Australia’s Test side.
Nathan Lyon was left out for pink ball contests in Jamaica and Brisbane last year before no specialist spinner was brought in for the MCG and SCG Ashes Tests after his injury in Adelaide.
The plight of Australian tweakers
The plight of Australian tweakers was in the spotlight again last month when Pat Cummins said on the eve of the Mackay Test that they were weighing up leaving out Lyon for Scott Boland.
Lyon, ultimately, held his place and with South Africa tipped to fight fire with fire on home soil, there has been some speculation about the 38-year-old place in the side against the Proteas.
The likes of former Australian leg spinner Kerry O’Keeffe would have breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Matthew Kuhnemann named in the squad on Monday morning, however.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey stressed that they
And chairman of selectors George Bailey stressed that they believe next month, they could be greeted by some drier than expected surfaces – most likely in Gqeberha, where South African tweaker Keshav Maharaj has 33 wickets in seven matches at 23.87.
“Pretty early season over there, particularly Durban and PE, potentially may spin more than other times of the year, or what’s considered normal,” Bailey said.
“’Matty’ left arm spin, the ability to spin the ball the other way to complement ‘Gaz’.”
Cooper Connolly’s inclusion in the squad also raised
Cooper Connolly’s inclusion in the squad also raised the prospect of the left arm tweaker shouldering the spin bowling duties – despite only having taken fiven first-class wickets – like England have done with Dan Lawrence, Joe Root, Jacob Bethell and Will Jacks in recent times.
Bailey admitted Connolly’s all-round package “was a part” of the thinking behind his selection, but stressed that like the batting line-up, Australia will wait to see what conditions they are met with before configuring the make-up of their bowling attack.
“Specifically, we haven’t really got to the stage of nutting out at XIs,” Bailey said.
We’ll obviously get over there, warm-up game
“We’ll obviously get over there, warm-up game in ‘Potch’, which will be an important hit-out. Particularly, for those red ball only players and then we’ll assess the conditions and make-up from there.”
Josh Hazlewood cautious over fitness | 01:11
WILL AUSSIE QUICKS SPREAD THE LOAD?
Australia has long flagged the need to manage its bowling attack, and in particular the workloads of Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood, through a gruelling next 12 months of Test cricket.
The trio featured on both occasions against Bangladesh, but gaps of four days between Tests in South Africa (in the event they go to five days) might lead to Scott Boland, and potentially even Michael Neser, called up at least once.
Hazlewood himself said the additions of Neser, Matt
Hazlewood himself said the additions of Neser, Matt Kuhnemann and Cooper Connolly ensured Australia was well covered to handle what he suspect will be varying conditions in South Africa.
“I think, you know, just going off the last tour that I went there for Test cricket, I think I remember Durban being a bit slower, a bit drier,” he said.
“I heard PE’s had a drop-in put in now rather than the traditional wicket, so that was sort of similar-ish to Durban, but that could be totally different now.
Cape Town and we’re not playing Jo-Burg,
“Cape Town and we’re not playing Jo-Burg, but those sort of wickets are a bit more seam-friendly and decent balance, with a bit of seam movement.
“It’s a bit like Australia in terms of covering all bases and you’ve got to cover different conditions in the one tour.”
Durban was the site of Mitchell Starc’s reverse-swing masterclass on the 2018 tour, getting a roughed-up old ball to hoop around corners for nine wickets for the match.
While the Proteas have triumphed in the last
While the Proteas have triumphed in the last two encounters at Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth), with the surface proving anathema to Mitchell Johnson at his pomp in 2014, while the Aussies were crushed by a devastating double act from AB de Villers (126 not out) and Kagiso Rabada (11 wickets) in 2018.
Rabada races clock for Aussies | 00:48
CHANCE MISSED TO BLOOD NEXT STAR?
Historically, Australia haven’t shied away from including new blood in touring squads to South Africa – even if they’ve been unlikely to feature at Test level.
In 2018, then-21-year old Jhye Richardson was the fifth seamer in a 16-man squad, initially ahead of Shield stalwart Chadd Sayers, who would later parachute in for the injured Jackson Bird and play his one and only Test in Johannesburg.
Most famously, in early 2009, selectors gambled
Most famously, in early 2009, selectors gambled on inexperience by naming three debutants for the first Test – Marcus North, Ben Hilfenhaus and the late Phillip Hughes – and were vindicated by the trio’s crucial contributions in a famous series win.
This year’s South Africa squad isn’t quite as old as the group that played Bangladesh last month.
There are three players currently under 30, for one, though back-up spinner Matt Kuhnemann will leave his 20s before a ball is bowled in the series.
The addition of Cooper Connolly, in particular,
The addition of Cooper Connolly, in particular, is a nod to the future and the need to rejuvenate a rapidly ageing batting group.
But once again, the squad leans heavily on an established core, with the make-up of the XI in Durban to begin the series likely a Labuschagne call away from being identical to the team which faced Bangladesh in Mackay.
“Age is clearly a big focus for some,” Bailey told reporters on Monday.
“Performance is important. We’re really confident around where that’s group at and over the ensuing months, or years, when the transitions occur – be that through performance or players dropping out of formats – there’ll be good people that are well-placed to come in and perform in whichever team that is.”
Even the reserve batter, Josh Inglis, has been
Even the reserve batter, Josh Inglis, has been the same for the last five Australian Test series, dating back to the tour of Sri Lanka in early 2025 where he debuted in style with a century.
With George Bailey refusing to confirm Labuschagne at No.3 for the first Test in Durban, the decision for Nathan McSweeney, long seen as a future first drop, to tour India with Australia A instead of South Africa is eye-catching.
Young gun Ollie Peake was also floated as a Test hopeful last month; but his choice for only the white-ball leg of the South Africa tour, thus ruling him out of featuring for Australia A, almost certainly scuppers any chance of a recall.
On a bowling front, it’s Groundhog Day all
On a bowling front, it’s Groundhog Day all over again from top to bottom, with Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland joined by Michael Neser, a perennial reserve for seven years and counting.
That call means seamers Fergus O’Neill, Richardson and Liam Hatcher – plus fast-bowling all-rounders Liam Scott and Jack Edwards – will remain on Australia A duty alongside McSweeney and co. in India.
Bailey questioning whether Richardson will “ever get back to that sort of mid-140s pace that he had” before a run of shoulder injuries hasn’t gone down well, either.
I still think it’s there – I just
“I still think it’s there – I just don’t think I’ve physically been in the best position to actually bowl fast,” Richardson told CODE Sports.
Intriguingly, that group of emerging talents, including emerging Victorian opener Campbell Kellaway and NSW prodigy Sam Konstas, finish the second of two unofficial four-day “Tests” on October 2 – a week out from the first Test against the Proteas.
Australia’s selectors proved against Bangladesh they aren’t afraid to change their minds mid-series, with Jake Weatherald axed and Matt Renshaw called in from the cold after their disastrous loss in Darwin.
Early failures from Labuschagne, Beau Webster, or Renshaw himself would increase the temptation to swing the axe … especially if a McSweeney, Kellaway or even a Konstas can produce a knock or two of substance in India.
Source: www.foxsports.com.au
