Follow UsMarnus Labuschagne paid the price of his inconsistent form as he was sidelined from the first Test against West Indies with the first day of play still five days away. He has been replaced by Sam Konstas for the Barbados Test, beginning June 25 at the Kensington Oval in Bridgetown.
The injury to modern-day great Steve Smith also opened the doors for Punjab Kings (PBKS) star from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Josh Inglis, who, for a long time, had been waiting for a chance in the Test side.
Talking about why Labuschagne paved the way for Konstas to open, the chair of selectors of the senior men’s team of Australia, George Bailey, on June 19, said that they value the batter’s skills, but his output has been lacking.
"Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. 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,” Bailey was quoted as saying by ESPN cricinfo.
Further, making clear that Smith needs more days to recover from his injury that he picked up during the World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord’s last week, Bailey announced the two new faces in Australia’s playing 11.
"Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that. We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers,” he said.
"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,” Bailey said about Inglis.
While Inglis has played only one Test, Konstas has been part of two games, both on India’s tour of Australia in 2024-25.