Bailey leaves Labuschagne out of Australia's New Zealand Tests without closing the door

Marnus Labuschagne will play no part in Australia's four-Test series against New Zealand after chair of selectors George Bailey ruled him out of contention and sent him back to Sheffield Shield cricket

Bailey confirmed on Monday that the former world No.1 Test batter would not be considered for any of the four matches, a series that begins at Perth Stadium on 9 December. "At this stage, we won't be considering Marn for selection for certainly that first Test, but for the New Zealand series," he said.

The decision ends a run in the side that had survived repeated scrutiny. Labuschagne has gone 49 innings without a Test century, a drought stretching back to his hundred against England at Manchester in the 2023 Ashes, and he has not passed fifty in his last 16 innings.

Bailey was careful not to frame the omission as the end of anything. "It's still possible, absolutely," he said of a return.

A slump the selectors stopped waiting out

Australia's last two assignments offered little to argue with. Against Bangladesh, Labuschagne made 36 runs at an average of 12, and in the three Tests in South Africa he managed 131 runs at 21.83 with a highest score of 39.

Bailey said the pattern mattered more than any single failure, pointing to promising starts in Darwin and in South Africa that were never converted. "But that performance hasn't been there," he said.

The slide has carried him to equal 40th in the ICC Test batting rankings, a long way from the top of a list he once led. It is the second time in 17 months that he has lost his place.

Bailey calls it space rather than a verdict

The chair of selectors said the announcement was made partly to settle the noise around the position. "There's been a lot of speculation around his place in the team," Bailey said, and the call gave Labuschagne "a little bit of space".

He was equally clear about the player's ceiling, saying that everyone knows how good and how effective Labuschagne can be at his best, while conceding the returns had not matched it.

"I don't think we've ever ruled anyone out permanently, and that's no different in this case," he added.

Back to Queensland for the next Shield round

Labuschagne captains Queensland, and the Sheffield Shield round beginning on Wednesday is where the selectors have asked him to rebuild.

Bailey said a handful of players were well placed for the batting places still open, and that the squad should be finalised over the next week or so, once that round is complete.

An opening in a long-settled order

No replacement has been named. The vacancy sits at a position Labuschagne has held for several years, and the squad announcement after the Shield round will be the first indication of how Australia intend to fill it.

Whoever takes it does so in a series Australia need. They are third in the World Test Championship standings with the 2025-27 cycle approaching its close, and the Trans-Tasman Trophy is on the line against a New Zealand side touring for four Tests in four weeks.

A summer that runs into India and England

The series moves from Perth on 9-13 December to Adelaide on 17-21 December, the Boxing Day Test at the MCG from 26-30 December and the New Year Test at the SCG from 4 January.

Beyond it lies a five-match tour of India early next year and an away Ashes assignment, with a World Test Championship final at The Oval in June should Australia qualify.

Those are the fixtures Labuschagne is now playing for, and Bailey's refusal to close the door leaves them within reach.

Australia name their squad for the Perth Test once the Sheffield Shield round beginning on Wednesday is complete, and Labuschagne will spend it captaining Queensland.