Australia has one final Sheffield Shield round to settle on Marnus Labuschagne’s replacement after the door was closed on him playing the home summer.

Chief selector George Bailey officially dropped Labuschagne on Monday, wanting to give the struggling No. 3 “a bit of space”.

Bailey said the Test squad for New Zealand, likely to be 14-strong, would be selected after this week’s round of Sheffield Shield.

The Aussies will pick the squad ahead of Round 5 despite it scheduled to finish a week and a half before the first Test in Perth on December 9.

Bailey said they had an idea of the squad – attempting to avoid a “bat-off” – but conceded the round would still be used to shape the 14.

“Probably just leaves it a little bit tight in terms of some of the preparation (and) some of the other stakeholders we need to keep happy,” Bailey said.

“I think we’ll be really clear by that stage, I don’t think I’m disclosing too much to say we’ve got some thoughts around what that squad is starting to look like as it is.

“But it’s nice to be in a position where I think there are still some great opportunities for players coming up.

“I always hate, I don’t like the idea of a bat-off or a bowl-off in a one-off game, so I don’t necessarily think it will move the dial an enormous amount, but it certainly still has the potential to.”

Beau Webster, Nathan Lyon, Matt Kuhnemann and Michael Neser are set to play this week’s Round 4.

Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Cameron Green and Josh Inglis will instead prioritise Round 5.

Bailey was earlier upfront about Labuschagne’s immediate future, proactively announcing his status in selection discussions.

“I do appreciate upfront that this is a little unusual and I will explain why,” Bailey said.

“But I did want to say today that at this stage we won’t be considering Marn for selection for certainly that first Test, but the New Zealand series.

“The reason I wanted to clear that up today is I think there has been a lot of speculation around his place in the team.

“So I think this gives him a little bit of space and clears up a bit of conjecture around the next round of Shield cricket.

“We’ll pick the rest of the squad at the completion of Round 4 of Sheffield Shield.”

Bailey stopped short of declaring Labuschagne’s Test career finished, leaving room for a recall in the future campaigns in India and England.

“It’s still possible, absolutely, I think we all know how good and how effective Marnus can be at his best but that performance hasn’t been there,” he said.

“I think he’s missed some opportunities – some promising starts in Darwin and even in South Africa – to go on and get a big score we’d like.

“But I don’t think we’ve ever ruled anyone out permanently to ever not be selected again and that’s no different in this case.”

Bailey also poured cold water on the lingering speculation around Steve Smith’s future.

Smith was injured for the series-deciding Test in South Africa and was on record in England casting doubt about whether he would make next winter’s Ashes.

But Bailey said he had seen no indication to suggest Smith wouldn’t be a crucial part of both legacy-shaping series.

“Absolutely, I certainly haven’t had any discussions with (Smith) to suggest otherwise,” Bailey said.

“As I said, all of the information he has shared from New York post those specialists updates are positive.

“I think Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) sort of touched on this, and trying to get to the bottom of what causes it and if it happens again how quickly can we find a remedy that can get on top of it and get him back on the park.

“But he is absolutely quality player and we’re a better team with him in it.

“Hopefully that continues for as long (as possible), and he’s been on record as saying that he takes it on a series by series basis and I don’t think that’s uncommon for players of his age.

“He’s probably been asked about it more specifically than a lot of others, but for someone who has achieved a hell of a lot, I can still see him achieving a hell of a lot more.

“I think we’ve got some pretty exciting series coming up, I’m confident he will be a very important part of them.”

MADDINSON GRATEFUL FOR TEST RETURN

Meanwhile, Nic Maddinson says he is grateful to selectors for giving him an unexpected second crack at Test cricket against South Africa.

The NSW captain is still getting his feet back on the ground after a whirlwind few weeks, but insists he would take the challenge on again in a heartbeat despite the distinct lack of first-class match practice he took into being thrown in the deep end.

Dropped and sent home before the deciding third Test, Maddinson says he would have “dropped myself” and does not agree with external criticism that selectors put him in an impossible position.

The 34-year-old – who had played his last Test for Australia back in 2016, and in more recent times fought a battle to overcome testicular cancer – admits he has no idea whether he will get a third opportunity to play Test cricket.

“I still feel like I can improve and I still feel like at 34, there’s possibilities if you do well and there’s still opportunities that pop up,” he said.

“I’ve seen guys like Chris Rogers and Adam Voges have quite good careers later in their cricketing life. I think that’s the way the team’s heading and if it’s an older squad, there’s going to be pockets for guys to come in and play a role.”

Originally published as Marnus Labuschagne officially dropped from Test side