Smith at first drop is the best answer to the vacancy Marnus Labuschagne has left. Australia have excluded Labuschagne from the entire four-match New Zealand series, and the options for the position are thin. Smith sat out the Cape Town decider because of a neck injury but is expected back, and his record at three is the best of any slot he has used. Selectors can solve the problem without promoting a newcomer, and the figures on his record at first drop make a strong case.
Labuschagne’s Slide Forced the Selectors’ Hand
The decision was confirmed by George Bailey on 9 November, one month ahead of the 9 December opener in Perth, and the scorebook backs it. Labuschagne managed 131 runs at 21.83 from six South African innings, never going beyond 39. His most recent Test century, 111 at Old Trafford, dates to July 2023, and 49 innings have passed since without another.
Those 49 innings returned 1,094 runs, an average of 24.31. At the 30-Test mark, his career average stood at 60.82; after 68 Tests, it is 42.64. Bailey described the decision as breathing room, and a return for the tours of India and England remains on the table.
Point in Career | Tests Played | Career Average |
Early stage | 30 | 60.82 |
Today | 68 | 42.64 |
Steve Smith Number Three in New Zealand Tests
A cervical facet joint injury kept Smith, 37, out of the Cape Town decider, but Cricket Australia expects him back. Coach Andrew McDonald wants him on the field at Perth. The injury is the one real doubt, and a comeback for New South Wales on 22 November should answer it.
Inglis scored a century in the five spot at Cape Town, and Green has regained fitness, which leaves the middle order crowded. Mike Hussey wants Smith at first drop. Mark Waugh and, alongside him, Kerry O’Keeffe lean towards giving Inglis the job and leaving Smith at his preferred four. The disagreement is real, though the figures below lean towards Hussey’s view.
The Numbers Behind the Batting Order
Smith’s record in the slot is the argument. At first drop, he has made 1,761 runs in 30 innings for an average of 65.22 and eight centuries, the best average he records in any position. Four has brought 6,773 runs across 130 innings at 59.41, including 23 hundreds, and five has produced 1,508 at 60.32.
Sample size is the caveat. Thirty innings is modest, and only once since 2017 has he been sent in at that position. His hundred-per-innings rate is also highest at three, with eight centuries in 30 innings. Even so, a lower average at four, over 130 innings against 30, suggests the position has never held him back.
Batting Position | Innings | Runs | Average | Hundreds |
Three | 30 | 1,761 | 65.22 | 8 |
Four | 130 | 6,773 | 59.41 | 23 |
Five | n/a | 1,508 | 60.32 | n/a |
Fitting the Rest of the Top Order
The South African series showed how the pieces can shift. Head’s opening partner was Nic Maddinson for the first two matches, then Matt Renshaw at Cape Town, with Labuschagne at first drop, Green fourth and Inglis fifth. Each change moved one batter at a time, which is the model for slotting Smith back in.
Renshaw earned the opening role with 369 runs at 61.50 for the series; in Durban he batted at five and made 190 and 82. With Smith third, the batting list would run Head, Renshaw, Smith, Green and Inglis before Alex Carey and Cooper Connolly. No batter is asked to fill a slot where he recently struggled.
Shield Contenders Remain as Cover
Queensland’s Jack Clayton has piled up 303 runs at 75.75 across three Shield matches, with a century of 104, and Usman Khawaja has spoken up for him. Konstas sits on 229 runs at 76.33, built on an unbeaten 151 against Western Australia, but his two innings in Tasmania produced just 5 and 2.
Kurtis Patterson, aged 33, hit 122 against Western Australia and then fell for 14 and 9 in Tasmania. Nathan McSweeney owns five Shield hundreds over roughly three seasons, though his latest innings produced 66. The squad assembles on 3 December in Perth, and these four are backup options, not the preferred pick, since the Steve Smith number three in New Zealand Tests argument rests on proven form.
Is Smith the safest answer at first drop, or should the selectors back a Shield run-scorer instead? Tell us in the comments.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who will bat first drop for Australia in the New Zealand series?
The spot has not been confirmed. Smith is the name mentioned most, Inglis and Green are the alternatives, and selectors will name the squad once this Shield round finishes.
Why has Marnus Labuschagne been left out of the squad?
Selectors have rested him for the entire series after a long run without a century. He went 49 innings without three figures and averaged 21.83 in South Africa.
When did Marnus Labuschagne last make a Test century?
The last came in July 2023, a century of 111 at Old Trafford against England. Since then, he has played 49 innings without reaching three figures again, a gap of more than three years.
Will Steve Smith be fit for the opening Test of the series?
Cricket Australia anticipates he will be fully recovered in time. The SCG on 22 November, where New South Wales host Queensland, is the next checkpoint.
When does the Test series against New Zealand start?
The first Test is staged at Perth Stadium, beginning 9 December. Later matches are in Adelaide from 17 December, Melbourne from 26 December, and Sydney from 4 January.
Disclaimer: This blog post reflects the author’s personal insights and analysis. Readers are encouraged to consider the perspectives shared and draw their own conclusions.