Under-fire No.3 batter Marnus Labuschagne has retained his spot in Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa, where the two teams play three red-ball games from October 9 after the ODI leg of the tour. This will be the first time Australia play a Test series in South Africa since the infamous tour of 2018, which was rocked by the ball-tampering saga. Just five players remain from that tour: Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Steve Smith and Matt Renshaw – a late addition to the squad back then after the suspensions to Warner, Smith and Bancroft.
Following a defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin, Australia were expected to ring in big changes, with the focus on Labuschagne potentially losing his place. Cricket Australia from the ODI squad, but have retained him in Tests despite his lowly returns of 1, 31 and 4 in the two Tests against Bangladesh. Labuschagne’s last Test hundred came in Manchester three years ago.While Cricket Australia didn’t give in to the urge of chopping and changing too much, it has roped in the highly-impressive Cooper Connolly, who debuted in the format last year in Sri Lanka but has just one Test cap to his name. Matthew Kunhemann and Michael Neser are the other two additions.
