Sydney: Out-of-form Marnus Labuschagne has been named in the Australia squad for next month's three-Test tour of South Africa. Number three Labuschagne, 32, who was born in South Africa, has failed to score a century since 2023 and struggled in two Tests against Bangladesh last month. Having scored one, 31, and four, he was then left out of Australia's squad for three one-day internationals in Zimbabwe and another three in South Africa.

According to BBC, chief Australia selector George Bailey expressed confidence in Labuschagne despite his recent form. "[We're] not shying away from the fact that we'd like some more runs from Marn... but we're also confident that he can still make a positive contribution to that squad," Bailey said. He acknowledged that the entire batting group has not been performing as expected, not just Labuschagne.

When questioned about Labuschagne's future in the team, Bailey dismissed the notion that the South Africa series would be Labuschagne's last chance, stating, "No, I wouldn't say that. But again, it's a hypothetical, isn't it?" This series marks Australia's first Test series in South Africa since the infamous Sandpapergate ball-tampering scandal in 2018, which resulted in Captain Steve Smith and vice-skipper David Warner being banned for a year for using sandpaper to damage the ball.

Only captain Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Lyon, Smith, and Matt Renshaw remain from the 3-1 series defeat in 2018. The 16-man squad for the upcoming series includes Cooper Connolly, Matthew Kuhnemann, and Michael Neser, and is otherwise unchanged from the last Bangladesh Test. Australia is set to travel to Durban for the first Test on 9 October, followed by matches in Gqeberha and Cape Town.