Australia's Test squad to face New Zealand will be selected after the upcoming Sheffield Shield round with a number of players vying for what is likely to be only one spot

Alex Malcolm

Published: Nov 10, 2026, 3:22 AM (1 hr ago)

Australia's chair of selectors George Bailey confirmed on Monday that Marnus Labuschagne would not be selected for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, which begins in Perth on December 9.

The remainder of the top seven from the most recent Test in South Africa, as well as Steven Smith, are set to be in Perth given the selectors have outlined their management plans with Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Cameron Green, Josh Inglis and Cooper Connolly all being rested from the T20I series against England despite being first-choice players in the format. The selectors will pick the New Zealand squad after round four of the Sheffield Shield, which starts on Wednesday.

"I think there's a handful of players that are really well placed at the moment as we work through that over the next week or so just to finalise how we think that squad in particular will structure up and the options we'll have within that," Bailey said. "We've got some thoughts around what that squad is starting to look like as it is. But it's nice to be in a position where I still think there's some great opportunities for players coming up.

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"I don't like the idea of a bat-off or a bowl-off in a one-off game. So I don't think it [the Shield games] will necessarily move the dial an enormous amount, but it certainly still has the potential to."

It appears likely that only one batter will be added to the squad for Perth in one of three roles: a direct replacement for Labuschagne at No. 3, a replacement for another role with one of the incumbents moving to No. 3, or as squad cover outside the XI for concussion or injury with Smith replacing Labuschagne in the XI as the only change. Here are some of the main contenders.

Konstas has made an impression at the start of the summer. A couple of unfulfilled starts in India with Australia A were finally capitalised on in his Sheffield Shield return.

Against a quality Western Australia attack featuring Test bowler Jhye Richardson, Joel Paris and Australia A spinner Corey Rocchiccioli, he flayed 71 and 151 not out at the WACA.

He then added 149 off 131 balls in a One-Day Cup clash at the same venue against Mahli Beardman, who is poised to make his ODI debut, and veteran international bowler Ashton Agar.

He missed out twice against Tasmania last week but received two 50-50 umpiring decisions.

With the age profile of Australia's team under the microscope, the 21-year-old could be installed at No. 3 in between Head, Renshaw and Smith, or he could open with one of the two incumbents sliding to No. 3 or even No. 5. But the latter would require a complete reshuffle of the order with one of Smith, Green, Inglis and Connolly needing to bat at No. 3.

Patterson would be the best like-for-like replacement at No. 3. No player has scored more Shield runs in that position over the past five summers and he and Labuschagne are the only players with five centuries in the position at Shield level in that time. His Shield average over the period at No. 3 is one run below Labuschagne's.

He started the season well with 54 against Tasmania and a century against the same WA attack Konstas faced. He also missed out twice against Tasmania. He has Test experience and scored a century in his last Test innings in 2019.

The major thing counting against him is his age. At 33, he would make the team slightly older. But age was no barrier when Nic Maddinson was selected for the South Africa series. Patterson was considered in that selection debate but it was decided he did not have Maddinson's versatility in terms of being able to either open or bat at No. 5.

Patterson averages 8.86 in six Shield innings opening. But it did come across 2022-23 during a horror run of form that eventually saw him dropped from the New South Wales side. His performances since then suggest he is batting better than he ever has. Patterson at No. 3 would mean Head and Renshaw remain as openers.

McSweeney is another like-for-like option at No. 3 that would mean the least disruption to the rest of the order, albeit Smith's return will still cause another change between Nos. 4-7.

McSweeney is the preferred age at 27 but his form is patchy. He made scores of 0, 35, 34 and 36 against India A in the four-day games as well as 54, 1, 1 and 66 in his two Shield appearances. But he has plundered one-day scores of 123 and 106 for Australia A and South Australia in between.

The case for McSweeney at No. 3 is also complex. He averages just 29.97 over five seasons and 42 innings in the role with only two Shield centuries. However, while batting there for Australia A over the past 15 months, he has made scores of 226 not out, 94, 74 and 85 not out.

He was given one of the toughest tasks in the game in his first foray into Test cricket, opening against a rampant Jasprit Bumrah. He has said he is a better player for that experience. McSweeney is highly regarded as being defensively sound but whether he has added the ability to apply some scoring pressure back on the opposition bowlers that the Australia's selectors want remains a question.

There is a groundswell of support for Clayton to be included. The selectors hold the 28-year-old left-hand batter in high regard but he has not yet been selected for Australia A and has never played a first-class match overseas.

He has started the season well for Queensland with scores of 82, 66 and 104 at the WACA, Adelaide Oval and the Gabba respectively. He also has a century in a Shield final in 2025 and has seven first-class hundreds overall.

But whether the selectors would consider Clayton for the No. 3 position is a question. He has batted at No. 3 14 times in Shield cricket, averaging 37.90 with one century. He has batted at No. 4 exclusively this season and averages 48.58 there. The Queensland hierarchy were happy for him to bat at No. 4 this season based on the knowledge that the selectors have picked players to fill roles in Test cricket regardless of where they bat for their states. His elevation to No. 3 for the New Zealand series would a surprise but it's not out of the question.

The other possible contenders

Campbell Kellaway hasn't had a prolific start to the summer but he has scored half-centuries opening against South Australia and at No. 3 against Queensland.

Sam Harper remains in sublime form and has the flexibility and scoring potential the selectors like but the selectors did not consider him ahead of Maddinson in South Africa. Bailey has said Maddinson remains a chance to play again despite his tough return to Test cricket and two failures on return to Shield cricket, one of which was courtesy a dubious lbw decision.

Ollie Davies' electric start to the summer makes him a left-field option after a stunning 253 against Tasmania and 53 against WA.

Pat Cummins has said the door was not closed on Mitchell Marsh as far as Test selection goes and it is highly likely he would have remained in South Africa instead of Maddinson if it were not for the birth of his second child. Marsh's selection would be extraordinary given he has retired from Shield cricket, having not played a red-ball game for over a year, and has not batted for longer than 63 balls in a match since August 2025.

Alex Malcolm is an associate editor at Cricinfo