Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped for the first Test against West Indies, while Steven Smith was also ruled out through injury, as Sam Konstas and Josh Inglis were named as their replacements.

The two changes, confirmed five days before the opening Test in Barbados on June 25, mean Australia will have a significantly different batting line-up from the World Test Championship final against South Africa. Konstas will earn his third cap, while Inglis returns after he scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year.

Labuschagne, who opened in the WTC final, came away with scores of 17 and 22 as his two-year lean run in Test cricket continued.

Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped from the Test side for the first time since 2019 (Photo: Getty Images)

 

"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, expect. 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," chair of selectors George Bailey told ESPN CricInfo.

Meanwhile, Smith, who suffered a compound dislocation to the little finger on his right hand, avoided surgery but has to wear a splint for eight weeks. However, there is hope he will be able to play later in the West Indies series.

"Steve needs more time for the wound to heal, so we'll give him another week's rest and assess his functionality after that. 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," Bailey said.