Labuschagne set to play, Smith battles injury after Maddinson dropped for Newlands

Cape Town: Marnus Labuschagne is set to play in the Newlands Test and Steve Smith has been challenged to push through a neck injury as selectors also ponder the inclusion of Cooper Connolly and Nathan Lyon for a showdown game against South Africa with the world number one ranking at stake.

While Nic Maddinson has already been dropped and is with Sam Harper on his way home to the Sheffield Shield, Smith batted comfortably enough for around 35 minutes, but then needed a brief break to stretch his neck, before returning for another five minutes.

Labuschagne skipped the session entirely, as the tourists have decided his issues are largely mental in nature, and will be hoping he is refreshed for Tuesday’s first ball. Matt Renshaw will return to the top of the order, while Cameron Green is likely to return at number five.

If Smith is not fit to play, his place would be taken by Josh Inglis.

Lyon would return at the expense of Scott Boland, while Beau Webster would be jettisoned for Connolly, who would be a nod to the future.

“You don’t play 100-odd Test matches without playing Test matches where you’re not 100 per cent fit, so hopefully that’s the case this week,” captain Pat Cummins said.

“Even though he’s probably not going to be 100 per cent, hopefully he can compartmentalise that, like he’s done many times before with other things, and can come out and … contribute like he does every week.”

Coach Andrew McDonald, selection chair George Bailey, skipper Cummins and deputy Travis Head were seen in a thoughtful conference by the Test pitch, perhaps debating the merits of Lyon versus Boland on a dry surface expected to require an attritional brand of cricket.

Beau Webster later had a long chat with Bailey that seemed to strengthen the case for Connolly’s inclusion.

“I think that’s always the questions around anyone with selection really. If you’re going to bring in a known quantity versus someone that you’re not too sure about, both have positives to it,” Cummins said.

“I said I think anywhere in the world, batting top three is really tough, and Marnus is doing the hard work. He’s facing quite a few balls, getting himself in. So, you think about all those things when you come up to the final 11.”

Of Lyon, Cummins said it was most likely a straight-up duel with Boland for the final spot.

“One is you’ve got Scotty Boland there, who averages whatever it is, something ridiculous, and it was storming and cloudy for a couple [of] days, and so largely conditions based,” Cummins said.“We know Nath’s quality, he’s played 140 Tests. We’re desperate for him to play as much as possible.”

In a message that could have easily been directed at Labuschagne, Cummins said his batsmen needed to think in terms of partnerships for the team rather than career-affirming huge scores.

“That kind of investment in each other’s game and working together out there, I think that’s a pretty good path forward,” he said, referring to Boland’s Gqeberha union with Head. “Your tendency is if you’re a little bit out of form or out of runs, you try so hard again that next week.

“You want to so desperately get the match-winning 100, you can sometimes lose sight of maybe what the team needs from you at that moment, or what’s the game demanding of you and that’s just been the chats around this week – What can you do for the team? How can you help each other out?

“There’s no better feeling [in] cricket than when you’re having a beer after the Test after everyone’s made little contributions along the way that have added up to a match-winning effort, so yeah, don’t get caught up in the ‘I need 200 to kick-start my career again’. It’s what you can bring this week to help each other perform.”

South Africa’s captain Temba Bavuma confirmed on Monday that the hosts would choose firebrand fast bowler Gerald Coetzee to replace the injured Anrich Nortje – victory would allow the Proteas to usurp Australia on top of the ICC Test ranking, having already claimed the World Test Championship.

Coetzee has 14 wickets from four previous Tests at 23.57 and was notable for breaking Head’s arm with a rising delivery in a 2023 ODI series, which forced Head to miss the early rounds of that year’s World Cup in India.

Selection chair Bailey said the panel would not be discarding Maddinson, and wanted him and Harper to return to Sheffield Shield ranks to make runs.

“Would you like more runs? Yes, so that’s okay. Did it allow us to set the rest of the team up the way that we wanted to whilst we’re working with the group we have? Yes,” Bailey said. “We always talk about what do we see when we see players at their best. I think you saw a glimpse of that in the second innings in Durban.

“With him going home, it was wanting to be clear to him it wasn’t a stopgap and that’s it, and it’s a discard. The same reasons … and process we work through to get him to be on the table for here, and ultimately to play.”

Bailey added that Labuschagne’s sequence of starts without making big scores was understandably being criticised, but the selectors had to weigh up whether his scores had value in the context of the forthcoming game.

“We’re seeing some good things. Is there a block at the moment around 30s? Yes, still contributing in terms of his ability to get through a number of balls,” Bailey said.

“So it’s a decision around what does that look like if it gets through there and again, what does it look like for the collective, is it helping others around him? Is it helping the team get a result that we ultimately want?”