Australia drop Labuschagne for first West Indies Test

Australia have dropped Marnus Labuschagne for their opening Test against the West Indies with Steve Smith also missing through injury.In their places, teenage opener Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis come in for the series opener in Barbados, which starts on 25 June.Labuschagne opened the batting for Australia in their World Test Championship final defeat by South Africa last week but finished with scores of 17 and 22 to continue his lean spell.The 30-year-old has not made a Test hundred since the fourth Ashes Test of 2023."Marnus at his best can be a really important member of this team. He understands his output hasn't been at the level we, or he, expects," said selection chair George Bailey."We will continue working with him on the areas of his game we feel he needs to rediscover. We continue to value his skill and expect him to work through the challenge positively."Smith, meanwhile, dislocated his right little finger on day three of the final at Lord's.Though he has avoided surgery and travelled to the Caribbean, he must wear a splint for up to eight weeks but could return for the second Test in Grenada in July."Steve needs more time for the wound to heal so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that," Bailey said."We have made the decision to give Josh and Sam the opportunity to replace Steve and Marnus. We are excited to see them get the chance to further their fledgling Test careers."In his only opportunity in Test cricket to date, Josh was outstanding in Sri Lanka, showing great intent and ability to put pressure on the opposition."

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