End of Marnus Labuschagne: Horror South Africa Test series might be the end of the rope for Aussie No.3 batter

End of Marnus Labuschagne: Horror South Africa Test series might be the end of the rope for Aussie No.3 batter originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.KEY TAKEAWAYS:Marnus Labuschagne scored 131 runs in six innings in the South Africa series, with a best of 39 and a first-innings duck in Cape Town.Across his last 10 Test innings for Australia, he has 204 runs at 20.40 without a fifty, against a career average of 42.64.Mark Waugh believes Labuschagne is in the "last chance saloon" and wants Josh Inglis to bat at No. 3.Marnus Labuschagne might be running out of time at No. 3The defeat at Newlands on Saturday showed Australia a lot about their current standing. One, they aren't the top Test side in the world anymore, with the Proteas holding both the World Test Championship and the No. 1 rankings after their 176-run victory. The second and bigger point is the fact that the Aussies have a serious batting problem ahead of their series against New Zealand.Marnus Labuschagne remains at the top of that list. After failing to score a single fifty in six innings, his place on the Test lineup is under serious threat after a miserable series in South Africa. He made 37, 37, 14, 39, 0 and 4 across the three Tests, for a total of 131 runs at an average of 21.83, and never passed 40.The longer view is equally unkind. Labuschagne has 204 runs in his last 10 Test innings, an average of 20.40, with no half-century among them. His last Test hundred came against England at Old Trafford in July 2023, and he has batted 49 times since without another. A report from Cape Town said he was almost certain to be dropped out of the next Test against New Zealand. MORE: Warner's Day 5 prediction backfires as South Africa clinch Test series Getty Images Marnus Labuschagne's last 10 Test inningsLabuschagne has not passed 39 in any of his last 10 Test innings. Four of them ended in single figures, including the duck in Cape Town, and his best, 39 in Gqeberha, was another start that went nowhere.RunsOppositionVenueDate37v EnglandSydney4 Jan 20261v BangladeshDarwin13 Aug 202631v BangladeshDarwin13 Aug 20264v BangladeshMackay22 Aug 202637v South AfricaDurban9 Oct 202637v South AfricaDurban9 Oct 202614v South AfricaGqeberha18 Oct 202639v South AfricaGqeberha18 Oct 20260v South AfricaCape Town27 Oct 20264v South AfricaCape Town27 Oct 2026Across those 10 innings, he has scored 204 runs at 20.40, with a best of 39 and one duck. For a batter whose career average stands at 42.64 across 68 Tests, that is a drop of more than 22 runs per dismissal.The South Africa series offered no clear sign of recovery either. Three scores in the thirties never became fifties, and the 0 and 4 in Cape Town came in the series decider, the match where Australia most needed a big innings from the No. 3.MORE: Pat Cummins among Australia’s best Test captains: Where does he rank?What did Mark Waugh say about Marnus Labuschagne?Mark Waugh has already given his verdict on Labuschagne. The former Australian batter wants Inglis to take over at the No. 3 spot and has claimed that Labuschagne is in a precarious position. Waugh was blunt about what he expects the selectors to do next, while still acknowledging what Labuschagne has achieved in the format."I’m assuming Marnus is going to be out, so I’ve got Inglis at three. Great career, Marnus, but I think it’s the end, the last chance saloon," Waugh opined. He also ruled out the obvious alternative of moving Steve Smith up the order, saying Smith does not want to bat at three and would stay at four."Steve Smith doesn’t want to bat three, so he’s going to be four. Then we’ve got Cameron Green at number five, and then Connolly and Carey – you can swap them around."MORE: 'Un-Australian, disgraceful': David Warner lashes out Pat Cummins and Co. after embarrassing Test series loss vs South AfricaHow could Australia line up against New Zealand without Marnus Labuschagne?Waugh's comments give a simple blueprint for the middle order. Inglis moves to No. 3, Smith stays at No. 4, Green bats at No. 5, and Cooper Connolly and Alex Carey fill the next two spots in whichever order suits. It is not the only option.The same Cape Town report named Kurtis Patterson, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas as possible replacements, a route that would bring in a specialist batter at three and leave Inglis lower down the order. Smith's fitness adds another complication for the Aussies.His neck injury prompted a late call-up for Inglis in Cape Town, so any plan that leaves Smith at four depends on him being fit, and a late change could reshuffle the middle order again.The harder question is what Australia wants from No. 3 now. Labuschagne's record gives him a case for one more chance, but 204 runs in 10 innings makes it difficult to argue he has earned it.Whether the selectors pick Inglis, a specialist, or a wider reshuffle, the runs scored from that spot against New Zealand will decide how the call is remembered and whether Labuschagne's absence turns out to be a pause or an ending.After the series loss in Cape Town, Australia captain Pat Cummins had also hinted at some changes in the team ahead of the New Zealand series. He told reporters, "I still think we are a really good side. Playing the now number one side in their own country, we had our moments in every Test. We will be asking those questions internally as well."He added, "We need to get better if we want to get back to number one. Maybe there will be some changes in style, changes in the personnel."For all the latest cricket news, opinion, and commentary, and to share your voice, head to our Facebook, Instagram, and X (Twitter) pages.