West Indies tour 2025

[Bornadog]

Marnus dropped as Konstas, Inglis returns confirmed for WI opener

Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis will both play in the first Test against West Indies with injured batter Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to miss the series opener in Barbados.

Australia have made the unusual call to announce the pair's return to the XI almost a week out from Wednesday's first Test (midnight Thursday AEST) to give them time to prepare.

Labuschagne's omission comes after he opened in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa to accommodate Cameron Green's return to the side at No.3, with the Queenslander managing scores of 17 and 22 before falling caught behind to Marco Jansen in both innings.

The 30-year-old's numbers have tapered off since holding the ICC's No.1 Test batter ranking for the first six months of 2023, with his last century coming in Manchester in the fourth Test of that year's Ashes series.

'Flexible' Aussies embrace first Windies Test tour in a decade
Selection chair George Bailey backed Labuschagne to return to his best in the future.

"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," Bailey said in a statement.

"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."

Meanwhile, Smith has been ruled out of the first Test at Kensington Oval after dislocating his finger while fielding at slip in the WTC final.

The Australian No.4 took no further part in the game after copping a painful blow on the right little finger while fielding on day three.

Smith avoided surgery and travelled with the squad to Caribbean but will be required to keep his right digit in a splint for up to eight weeks following the compound dislocation.

Smith remains a chance of playing in the second Test in Grenada beginning on July 3 if he can tolerate wearing a splint while batting.

"Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that," Bailey said.

Aussies forced into squad change for Caribbean Test tour
"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.

"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."
Inglis hit a century on debut in January in the first Test against Sri Lanka, while teenage opener Konstas made an electrifying start to his Test career by taking down Indian superstar Jasprit Bumrah in front of 80,000 fans on Boxing Day.

Konstas was left out of the Sri Lanka series with Travis Head preferred to open in spinning conditions, but coach Andrew McDonald revealed post-match the 19-year-old was a big part of discussion leading into the WTC final before they opted for Labuschagne as opener.

Konstas is expected to partner Usman Khawaja in the first Test against the West Indies, but Inglis' position is less certain given incumbent first-drop Green was batting out of position at Lord's. Inglis batted at five and six in Sri Lanka.


Bailey indicated the batting order and final XI would be confirmed closer to first ball.

The first Test at Kensington Oval gets underway on Wednesday (June 25), broadcast on ESPN in Australia and available on Foxtel, Kayo Sport, Disney+ and Fetch TV from midnight Thursday AEST.

Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First Test: June 25-29, Bridgetown, Barbados (midnight AEST)

Second Test: July 3-7, St George's, Grenada (midnight AEST)

Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster

West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales

First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)

Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)

Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)

Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)

Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)

West Indies T20 squad: TBC

Australia's T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

[GVGjr]

Is there any real surprises on who we selected? Perhaps Abbott.
Should we take 5 fast bowlers when we are very likely to play to spin bowlers in each of the tests?
I'm not sure what we are doing with Marnus. We've dropped him but he's still in the squad. Have we missed the chance to give McSweeney another chance?

Obviously the challenge is to balance the needs for now and to set us up for the Ashes late in the year but we don't seem to have focused much on the future.

[Axe Man]

Is there any real surprises on who we selected? Perhaps Abbott.
Should we take 5 fast bowlers when we are very likely to play to spin bowlers in each of the tests?
I'm not sure what we are doing with Marnus. We've dropped him but he's still in the squad. Have we missed the chance to give McSweeney another chance?

Obviously the challenge is to balance the needs for now and to set us up for the Ashes late in the year but we don't seem to have focused much on the future.

My understanding is the pitches are a little bit of an unknown - may play 3 quicks and 1 spinner or 2 and 2 depending on the conditions. Fast bowlers obviously the most injury prone, always need depth there.

At his age ideally Marnus would still be in the team but he needs to rediscover some form. Perhaps it's about keeping him around the setup whilst he works on some things.

I don't see any circumstance in which McSweeney would have played. Smith may be back in the second test and both Konstas and Inglis are ahead of him. I did see he has been named in the A squad v Sri Lanka.

I would have thought selecting a 19 year old is fairly future focused.

[Bornadog]

Is there any real surprises on who we selected? Perhaps Abbott.
Should we take 5 fast bowlers when we are very likely to play to spin bowlers in each of the tests?
I'm not sure what we are doing with Marnus. We've dropped him but he's still in the squad. Have we missed the chance to give McSweeney another chance?

Obviously the challenge is to balance the needs for now and to set us up for the Ashes late in the year but we don't seem to have focused much on the future.

I think Marnus is there in case the other openers fail, or an injury

[GVGjr]

I think Marnus is there in case the other openers fail, or an injury

While it makes sense in reality he's only a makeshift opener and we know he's an out of form batsman.
The selectors have essentially avoided or deferred making the hard call which has been their preference. Lets hope he repays the faith.
In all honesty based on his form we will miss him more in the field than at the batting crease.

[GVGjr]

Michael Vaughan, Greg Blewett call for mass changes to Aussie batting lineup as Marnus dropped

Marnus Labuschagne has been dumped from Australia’s team - with Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis set to face the West Indies. But that’s just the start of the changes being pushed by Test greats.

Cameron Green is too vulnerable outside off-stump to be a Test No.3 according to former England captain Michael Vaughan, who has joined the growing chorus of experts calling for Josh Inglis to bat at first drop with Steve Smith unavailable to play in Barbados next week.

Inglis and Sam Konstas will return to the Australian XI for the first Tests against the West Indies, with Marnus Labuschagne axed after 53 consecutive Tests.

Vaughan has meanwhile warned his old side not to take its eye off the ball in its home summer, suggesting that if England cannot beat India at home Ben Stokes’ men will have “no chance” of regaining the Ashes this summer.

After a commanding run of form for Gloucestershire, Green was elevated to No.3 for the World Test Championship final, a position at which he had never previously batted in Test cricket.

The move did not pay off, with the West Australian - not yet back bowling in matches after undergoing back surgery last year - nicking Proteas spearhead Kagiso Rabada to depart for four and 0 respectively across both innings.

Green had replaced Labuschagne in the role, with the Queensland skipper moving to the top of the order where he is set to be replaced by Sam Konstas for the first Test against the West Indies beginning in Barbados on Thursday (AEST).

With Smith set to miss that match with the finger injury he suffered in the WTC final, former Australian Test opener Greg Blewett this week called for Inglis to bat at No.3, with Travis Head shifted to No.4 and Green at No.5.

Vaughan agreed that Inglis - who has generally batted at No.6 for Western Australia - was worth a shot much higher, with Green’s technical limitations a concern in the position.

“I think I’d have a go with Inglis at three. Put Cameron to No.4 if Smith’s not fit. I don’t see Cam as a No.3, he’s vulnerable outside the off stump against the moving ball,” Vaughan said.

“So why would you put him at No.3? He’s such a disruptive player when the ball’s a bit older and not doing quite as much. But I guess all these players want to bat from around five to seven.”

Australian selection chair George Bailey confirmed Labuschagne’s omission on Friday morning.

“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,’ Bailey said.

“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.”

Smith remains in contention to play the second Test in Grenada. The Aussies have not settled on a batting order for the series opener.

“Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we’ll give him another week’s rest and assess his functionality after that,” Bailey said.

“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.

“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.”

While Green had played plenty of cricket in the lead-up to the series, Vaughan also said the Aussies looked collectively “short of a gallop” against South Africa and pondered whether a trend was emerging after Australia was thrashed in the opener of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series last summer, only to fire back for a 3-1 series win.

The Aussies have opted against tour matches under coach Andrew McDonald, while the delayed finish to the Indian Premier League season further complicated the Aussies’ build-up.

“So there’s one lesson. Maybe the modern era doesn’t like it, but maybe playing a bit more cricket before a big series or a big game (would be beneficial),” Vaughan said.

While the Windies series is being billed as a key audition for the upcoming Ashes, Vaughan said England could not afford to get distracted by the looming battle for the urn in their battle with India which is live on Kayo Sports.

“The future looks after itself, but if you don’t look after the here and now by beating India, you’ve got no chance of winning in Australia,” Vaughan said.

“So they’ve just got to get all their tools right. They’ve got to get their decision making correct, and they’ve got to play smart cricket at times. And that’s been the vulnerability of England over the course of the last few years, is that they do have moments of madness. And if they can clarify and clear out the moment of madness, they’ll have a great chance of being successful Down Under.”

Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped for the opening Test in the West Indies, ending a streak of 53 consecutive Tests.

Meanwhile Steve Smith has officially been ruled out of the series opener in Bridgetown, with Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis locked in to return to the Australian XI.

Labuschagne, who turns 31 on Sunday, has finally paid the price for an extended run of poor form. The former Test World No. 1 batter has averaged less than 30 over the past two years in the format with just one century.
He was moved to the top of the order for the World Test Championship final but the move failed to have the desired effect, with the Queenslander making 17 and 23 as Australia lost to South Africa.

Inglis, who made a century on debut in Galle earlier this year, will come back into the XI for the match beginning on Thursday (AEST), as will Konstas, who hasn’t played a Test since the Sydney match against India in January.

Konstas will almost certainly open the batting although selectors have not yet committed to a batting order for the series opener.

Smith has travelled to the Caribbean despite the compound dislocation in his finger in the hope he will be available for the second Test in Grenada.

“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 selection chair George Bailey said.
“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.

“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.

“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.”

[lemmon]

While it makes sense in reality he's only a makeshift opener and we know he's an out of form batsman.
The selectors have essentially avoided or deferred making the hard call which has been their preference. Lets hope he repays the faith.
In all honesty based on his form we will miss him more in the field than at the batting crease.

That's a strange argument - what faith is he repaying by running drinks? I think the easy call would've been to give him another shot based on Smith also missing, but they've clearly signalled they want to stick with Green at 3 and the Konstas / Khawaja opening partnership.

Inglis is in as the makeshift batter at 4 and he probably needs a century in the first Test to push the selectors when Smith is available. Otherwise they'll give the Khawaja / Konstas / Green trio a series to work out if that's right for the Ashes.

Marnus is a good squaddie, good fielder and the next best bat out of the side. It's not like dropping him from the squad releases him to the Shield - he's not missing cricket

[GVGjr]

That's a strange argument - what faith is he repaying by running drinks? I think the easy call would've been to give him another shot based on Smith also missing, but they've clearly signalled they want to stick with Green at 3 and the Konstas / Khawaja opening partnership.

Inglis is in as the makeshift batter at 4 and he probably needs a century in the first Test to push the selectors when Smith is available. Otherwise they'll give the Khawaja / Konstas / Green trio a series to work out if that's right for the Ashes.

Marnus is a good squaddie, good fielder and the next best bat out of the side. It's not like dropping him from the squad releases him to the Shield - he's not missing cricket

I'd be okay with the notion that Labuschagne stays because of Smith's absence but they've already made the call to drop him knowing that Smith will miss a test or two.
It just seems that they've deferred making the harder call to drop him and bring in another player but we don't have a lot of options.
Inglis at 4 might work at the West Indies but it's not really a solution for the longer term.

[lemmon]

I'd be okay with the notion that Labuschagne stays because of Smith's absence but they've already made the call to drop him knowing that Smith will miss a test or two.
It just seems that they've deferred making the harder call to drop him and bring in another player but we don't have a lot of options.
Inglis at 4 might work at the West Indies but it's not really a solution for the longer term.

But they have indicated the long-term (Ashes) solution: Khawaja, Konstas, Green, Smith. Inglis is only stepping in to cover Smith's absence, they think Green can bat 3 and Konstas has been picked in place of Marnus.

If anything, they've shown that Marnus is well and truly dropped by not even choosing him as the reserve batter ahead of Inglis.

I really don't get how this isn't a statement? It might have come late, but clearly they've picked a top 3 that Marnus isn't part of.

[GVGjr]

The Australians are still pondering the likely team for the first test. Will they play 2 spin bowlers and what will the batting order be?
Could Head be moved to number 4 allowing Inglis at 5
The fielding positions will be different with Ussie, Webster and and Inglis likely to be in the slips.

This could be an interesting series.

[Sedat]

Konstas out for 3, Green dropped 2nd ball and Khawaja dropped on 7, all off Shamar Joseph. Unconvincing start to say the least.

[GVGjr]

All out for 180. The Windies are currently 2 for 50.

[GVGjr]

The Windies are now 4 for 53

[Axe Man]

I watched the first session. Hard to take much from Konstas' innings - got a good ball that jagged back. Green looked like a tailender, it really doesn't matter what position in the order he is if he bats like that. Confidence seems shot. Inglis just a poor shot. A good fightback from Khawaja (who struggled early) and Head.

[Bornadog]

Lots of dropped catched by the Windies -( Ussi on 7 for one)

Is the wicket made for bowlers?