Australia will be without two of their regular starters, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith, as they begin the Caribbean tour, their first assignment of the new World Test Championship (WTC) cycle.
Smith, with his finger still in a splint, was always doubtful for this series after he dislocated it while attempting a catch off Temba Bavuma in the WTC Final last week. He opted against surgery, which could have shortened his recovery time, but there was no way he could have been fit to bat after just a week’s rest.
“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal, so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Australian Chair of Selectors, George Bailey, said.
Labuschagne, on the other hand, has fallen out of favour with the management following a nearly two-year-long run drought. It has been 30 innings since he last scored a Test century, and his returns of 17 and 22 at the opening spot in the WTC final came as the final nail in the coffin.
“Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team,” Bailey said. “He understands his output hasn’t been at the level we, or he, expects. We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively.”
Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis will fill in for the pair in the West Indies red-ball tour opener, set to start on June 25 in Barbados. Konstas, who made his Test debut against India in December, will return to the side after missing the Sri Lanka Test tour earlier this year. He amassed 113 runs, including a half-century in the Boxing Day Test, across two games against India and turned heads with his fearless hitting off Jasprit Bumrah.
Inglis, like Konstas, also comes with the experience of two Test matches, which he played against Sri Lanka. The wicketkeeper-batter scored a century on debut in Galle.
“We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus,” Bailey said.“We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers. In his only opportunity in Test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition.”
The final XI for the opening Test, along with the batting order, will only be revealed closer to match day. From what it looks like, Konstas is likely to slot in as opener alongside Usman Khawaja, with Cameron Green and Josh Inglis coming in to take the Nos. 3 and 4. Australia might tinker with the bowling lineup, possibly bringing in an extra spinner at the cost of a seamer, depending mainly how the conditions in Barbados are.
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Josh Inglis, Travis Head, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Mitchell Starc, Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann.
