Marnus Labuschagne has retained his place in Australia’s 16-member squad for the upcoming three-match Test series against South Africa despite a prolonged run of poor form. His selection raised eyebrows given his recent struggles with the bat, but Australia’s chief selector George Bailey remains confident that the experienced batter can make a valuable contribution during the away series.

George Bailey acknowledged that Australia need more runs from Labuschagne but insisted that the selectors still believe he can play an important role in the team. “We are not shying away from the fact that we’d like some more runs from Marnus. That’s clear, but we’re also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad,” Bailey said.

Australia’s batting unit has not consistently produced the numbers expected of them in recent matches. However, Bailey pointed out that the team’s overall results remain strong, with Australia continuing to win a significant number of Test matches.

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“I think our batting group in its entirety, not just Marnus, probably hasn’t been functioning as successfully as we would like, but also not shying away from the fact that we’ve continued to win a lot of Test matches over that period.” Labuschagne’s omission from Australia’s ODI squad could also work in his favour ahead of the South Africa Tests. Bailey believes the break from white-ball cricket will allow the 31-year-old to concentrate completely on his red-ball preparation.

“Clearly, there’s potentially a simplification or an ability to focus purely on red-ball cricket for him in the fact that he won’t be in the one-day series leading up to it. So that may be a benefit.”

Bailey added that Labuschagne is expected to prepare specifically for the challenging conditions in South Africa and remains confident in his ability to contribute to the squad.

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The upcoming series promises to be a major Test cricket contest, with Australia and South Africa occupying the top two positions in the World Test Championship 2025-27 points table. Bailey expects a closely fought battle, particularly because of South Africa’s formidable bowling attack.

“They are a formidable opponent. They’re a strong team, very, very strong bowling attack. They showed that in that World Test Championship Final, and we expect nothing different here.” With Labuschagne retaining the selectors’ backing, the South Africa series could prove crucial for the experienced batter as he looks to rediscover his best form in Test cricket.