Arabic version: استبعاد لابوشين من جولة أستراليا الإفريقية في مباريات اليوم الواحد

According to ABC News, Marnus Labuschagne has been omitted from Australia’s ODI squad for back-to-back series in Zimbabwe and South Africa later this month. The World Cup winner is one of five players dropped as Australia prepare for a three-match series against Zimbabwe and South Africa before a Test series against South Africa.

Labuschagne, 32, was a feature of Australia’s national one-day team for several years and scored a half-century in the 2023 World Cup final win over India in Ahmedabad. Australia are the reigning ODI world champions, but Labuschagne’s struggles since that final have led to his exclusion almost a year before the next World Cup, to be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

He had missed five of Australia’s previous 56 ODIs. Matt Short, Ben Dwarshuis, Todd Murphy and Liam Scott were also left out after being selected for the tours of Pakistan and Bangladesh in May and June.

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc will join the squad for the South African leg only. Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head return after not playing in Pakistan or Bangladesh, while Cooper Connolly, Oliver Peake and Joel Davies have been added as emerging players.

Australia’s squad includes Marsh, Cummins, Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Connolly, Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Starc and Adam Zampa.