Pat Cummins reveals long-term number three plans for Australia in Tests
Australia captain Pat Cummins revealed long-term number three plans in the Test squad. Marnus Labuschagne had a rough time in the middle and has been dropped from the first Test against West Indies. Cameron Green replaced him.
Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne from the first Test against West Indies in Barbados. The 31-year-old averages only 16.16 in the four Test matches he played in 2025, and for the same, he is currently an afterthought in the squad. The team management, instead, is willing to back Cameron Green for the position. When it comes to Labuschagne, the cricketer will have to work tremendously hard and prove his mettle in the Sheffield Shield to be named in the Ashes squad later in the year.
In the meantime, Australia captain Pat Cummins has confirmed that he is looking at Green as a ‘long-term’ option at number three. In the World Test Championship (WTC) final against South Africa at Lord’s, the all-rounder struggled to prove his mettle, having scored four runs across two innings and was dismissed by Kagiso Rabada on both occasions.
Cummins noted that he doesn’t like to chop and change too often and believes Green to be a long-term option, especially given how well he has played in the nets.
"I always like to not have too many moving parts. We see that [Green at No. 3] as a long-term option. I think going into last week he's hitting the ball really well, he's moving really well. He had a Test match where it obviously didn't go to plan. Think he only faced three or four balls, so the message is not to look into that too much. We're really happy with where his game's placed and I dare say we'll get a decent run of No. 3,” Cummins said in the pre-match press conference.
What does that leave for Labuschagne?
Reflecting on Labuschagne’s future in the format, Cummins noted that he is an ‘international standard Test batter’ and if there’s an opening in the future, he expects the cricketer to fight for the spot. He highlighted the importance of giving an opportunity to the other batters since Labuschagne’s form has been poor over the last couple of years.
“I think him at his best is a well and truly an international standard Test batter. If there's an opening we could see him fighting his way back into the Test team at some point. Obviously, the focus now is giving a couple of other guys a go. He's had a pretty good run and obviously didn't make the most of it as well as he would like, so [we are] offering that opportunity to the next couple of guys,” Cummins said.