Marnus Labuschagne axed from Australian team; Steve Smith ruled out for West Indies tour

Steve Smith has been sidelined due to a finger injury he suffered at the World Test Championship Final at Lord's, and Australia has omitted Marnus Labuschagne for the first Test match against the West Indies in Barbados, which begins on June 25. Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis have been selected to replace the injured Smith and the underperforming Labuschagne in a major reorganisation of the batting lineup. 

In a defeat to South Africa, Labuschagne, who batted first in the most recent World Test Championship final, only scored 17 and 22 runs. He has been left off the team due to his extended poor form; he has only averaged 16.25 in four Test matches this year. "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," selection chair George Bailey said in a statement. "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."

While fielding at Lord's, Steve Smith dislocated his finger. Despite travelling to the Caribbean with the team, the former skipper has been instructed to wear a splint for up to eight weeks and will undergo another evaluation before the second Test in Grenada.  "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."

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Sam Konstas to get chance in Playing XI

Sam Konstas is anticipated to bowl at the top of the order alongside Usman Khawaja after making an impressive debut against India in the Boxing Day Test last year. Inglis, who earlier this year made his first century in Sri Lanka, is probably going to be placed in the middle order when Smith is not available. But according to Cricket Australia, the exact batting order will be determined closer to the game. As a part of its recovery strategy from losing the WTC Final, Australia will play Tests in Grenada and Jamaica after the first test in Barbados.

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