Marnus Labuschagne to captain Queensland in One-Day Cup ahead of South Africa Tests

Marnus Labuschagne will captain Queensland in the 2026-27 One-Day Cup, beginning with a match against Victoria at Allan Border Field on September 20, 2026. The Bulls then face New South Wales on September 22, 2026, after which Test-only players are scheduled to fly out to South Africa.

Labuschagne was appointed captain of the Queensland Bulls at the start of the 2024-25 season. His form in the longer format has come under scrutiny after he made scores of 1, 31 and 4 against Bangladesh last month, extending a run to 43 innings without a Test century and an average of 25.43 since the end of the 2023 Ashes.

Despite being included in the Test squad for South Africa, chair of selectors George Bailey stopped short of confirming Labuschagne would retain his place for the first Test in Durban. Labuschagne was also omitted from the ODI squad that is currently in Zimbabwe before heading to South Africa for three matches.

Why has Labuschagne been left out of the ODI squad?

Labuschagne's omission from the ODI squad means he will not feature in Australia's three one-day internationals in South Africa, which Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are expected to join. Bailey suggested that missing the ODI format could benefit Labuschagne's Test preparation.

"I think Marn will continue to prepare and refine how he will prepare for this series. There's potentially a simplification or an ability to focus purely on red-ball cricket for him in the fact that he won't be in the one-day series leading up to it. So that may be a benefit. I'm not sure around that," said Bailey as quoted by Cricinfo.

During his most recent ODI series against Bangladesh in June 2026, Labuschagne was pushed down to No. 7 for one of the matches. Australia also have a two-day warm-up match in Potchefstroom early next month before the Test series begins. Labuschagne himself has spoken about the criticism directed at his recent performances.

"Criticism, you bring [that] on yourself as a player because that's performance-based. I'm not getting criticised because of me as a person, they are criticising my performance which in the last two years I have let that happen. People that know me know that every single part of me is doing everything I can to get back to what my best looks like," said Labuschagne.

Can the One-Day Cup help Labuschagne rebuild his case?

Labuschagne dominated the One-Day Cup last season, scoring 468 runs across six innings with four centuries, a record that earned him the competition's player of the year award. The 2026-27 edition gets under way on September 19, 2026, when Western Australia take on South Australia in Perth.

"He's come back really determined to try and force his way back [into the Test side]. There's been some talk that maybe he won't get back, but sheer weight of runs will dictate that. He knows that. His attitude's been excellent," South Australian coach Ryan Harris said.

The One-Day Cup fixtures give Labuschagne two opportunities to demonstrate form before the Test squad assembles. Queensland's matches against Victoria and New South Wales represent his clearest chance to press his case through runs at domestic level ahead of the South Africa tour.