Australia Drops Labuschagne for ODI Tour as Cummins and Starc Return
Australia have drawn a sharp line under their World Cup triumph, dropping Marnus Labuschagne from the ODI squad for the African leg of their one-day tour while recalling Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc for the South Africa series.
The decision lands less than a year out from the next 50-over World Cup, to be staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia, and just months after Labuschagne played a key hand in the 2023 title run. He scored a crucial half-century in the final against India in Ahmedabad, a night that seemed to cement his place in Australia’s white-ball core.
Now he’s out.
World Cup hero left out
Labuschagne has been a near-permanent fixture in Australia’s ODI side, missing only five of the previous 56 matches. That continuity has not been enough to save him after a lean stretch since the World Cup, with selectors opting to move on from the 32-year-old for the Zimbabwe and South Africa series.
He is one of five players cut from the group that toured Pakistan and Bangladesh in May and June. Matt Short, Ben Dwarshuis, Todd Murphy and Liam Scott also drop out, a clear sign that the panel is prepared to make hard calls as the next World Cup cycle gathers pace.
The message is blunt: past medals don’t guarantee future tickets.
Cummins and Starc back on deck
If Labuschagne’s omission underlines a shift in thinking, the return of Australia’s premier quicks for the South African leg signals how seriously they are treating the challenge ahead.
Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc, both managed carefully across formats, have been named for the ODIs in South Africa. Their presence immediately stiffens the attack and restores the familiar edge that powered Australia to the 2023 crown.
Mitchell Marsh continues as a central figure and will again lead the group, while Travis Head also comes back after missing the Pakistan and Bangladesh series. Head’s explosiveness at the top of the order was one of the defining features of Australia’s World Cup surge; his return gives the batting order a more menacing shape.
Fresh faces for a new cycle
The shake-up is not just about who’s been left out. It’s about who gets the chance to step in.
Emerging talents Cooper Connolly, Oliver Peake and Joel Davies have been drafted into the ODI squad, a bold injection of youth into a side that, on paper, still looks strong enough to contend in any conditions. Each of the three brings something different, but all arrive with the same opportunity: to convince selectors they belong in the long-term plans for a World Cup on African soil.
They join a core group featuring Alex Carey and Josh Inglis as keeping options, Cameron Green’s all-round versatility, the reliability of Josh Hazlewood, the pace of Billy Stanlake and Spencer Johnson, and Adam Zampa’s frontline spin.
Australia’s ODI squad for the Zimbabwe and South Africa series reads: Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins (SA only), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Oliver Peake, Matthew Renshaw, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc (SA only), Adam Zampa.
Tough calls before a defining year
Australia, reigning ODI world champions, head into back-to-back three-match series against Zimbabwe and South Africa later this month, before a Test series against South Africa. The schedule is heavy, the expectations heavier.
Dropping a World Cup winner who barely missed a game over the last stretch is not a cosmetic tweak. It’s a statement. With a World Cup looming again on African pitches, the selectors have started to redraw the map.
Now the question hangs over the squad: who will seize this early chance to be on the plane when the title is on the line again in a year’s time?
