Marnus Labuschagne retained in Australia's South Africa Test squad
Selectors backed struggling batter Marnus Labuschagne for the Durban series, with Cooper Connolly, Matthew Kuhnemann and Michael Neser also added to the squad.
Labuschagne was the ICC's top-ranked Test batter in 2023 but has not made a century since that year's Ashes. He averaged 25 in last summer's Ashes series.
Connolly has played one Test, in Sri Lanka last year, alongside white-ball appearances for Australia. His first-class average stands at 42 over 13 matches, though he managed only 216 Sheffield Shield runs at 31 for Western Australia last season. He will play in the ODI series before the Tests get under way.
Chair of selectors George Bailey explained the thinking behind the squad, which sits at the start of a heavy Australian summer that continues with Test series against New Zealand and India.
«This is a reasonably condensed three-game series, on the back of six one-day internationals, with only short breaks between each game, The squad provides balance and options for each Test and the variety of conditions we may face».
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, and other named players.
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