Australia Unveil 16-Man Test Squad For South Africa; Marnus Labuschagne Retained

Out-of-form batsman Marnus Labuschagne was retained in Australia's squad for the upcoming Test tour of South Africa, chief selector George Bailey confirmed on Monday, throwing a lifeline to the struggling number three ahead of a series laden with historical significance. The 16-man squad, otherwise largely unchanged from the side that played Bangladesh last month, will tour South Africa for a three-Test series beginning in Durban on October 9 — Australia's first Test tour of the country since the infamous "Sandpapergate" ball-tampering scandal of 2018. Labuschagne's inclusion arrives despite a prolonged and well-documented decline in form. The 32-year-old has not scored a Test century since July 2023 and managed just scores of one, 31 and four across two home Tests against Bangladesh last month.

His batting average has slid steadily in recent years, from 34.91 in 2023 to 30.93 in 2024 and 20.84 in 2025, with his average this year sitting at 24.20. He was also dropped from Australia's one-day squads for the preceding tours of Zimbabwe and South Africa, underscoring the extent to which selectors have scaled back their confidence in his white-ball game even as they opted to retain him in the longer format. Addressing the decision at a press conference, Bailey acknowledged the pressure on Labuschagne but expressed continued faith in his ability to contribute.  "We're not shying away from the fact that we'd like some more runs from Marn, that's clear, but we're also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad," Bailey said, adding that Australia's top order as a whole, not just Labuschagne individually, "probably hasn't been functioning as successfully as we would like."

When pressed on whether the South Africa series could represent a last opportunity for the batsman to cement his place, Bailey declined to frame it in such definitive terms. "No, I wouldn't say that. But again, it's a hypothetical, isn't it?" he said, while noting that Labuschagne remained a "good learner" who continues to develop his game across formats despite his relative experience. Beyond Labuschagne's retention, the squad's other notable inclusions were all-rounder Cooper Connolly, spinner Matthew Kuhnemann and pace bowler Michael Neser. Connolly's selection was seen as further evidence that the 23-year-old is being groomed as a long-term prospect for the Australian side, while Kuhnemann was preferred over Todd Murphy as the second spinning option behind veteran Nathan Lyon.

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Neser, who like Labuschagne was born in South Africa, provides experienced pace back-up alongside the frontline trio of captain Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc, having recovered from a calf strain that had put his availability in doubt. Bailey noted that the condensed nature of the tour — a three-match Test series coming on the back of six one-day internationals with only short breaks between matches — had shaped the squad's composition, with an emphasis on providing balance and options across varying conditions. The tour carries particular symbolic weight given Australia's history in South Africa.

Five members of the squad that toured in 2018, when the ball-tampering scandal involving Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft erupted, will return for this series, including Cummins, Hazlewood, Smith and Starc, alongside Matthew Renshaw, who had been flown in as a replacement during the final Test of that tour. With the series carrying crucial ICC World Test Championship points and marking the squad's first red-ball assignment in South Africa since that controversy, selectors will be hoping several members of the batting group, Labuschagne included, can find the consistency that has eluded the side in recent series.

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