Australia’s formidable bowling unit delivered a dominant innings and 51-run victory against Bangladesh in the second Test, but persistent top-order batting struggles are raising serious concerns for selectors ahead of a challenging tour of South Africa.
Key Points
- Australia secured an innings and 51-run victory against Bangladesh in the second Test, bouncing back from their Darwin defeat.
- Despite the win, Australia’s top-order batting remains a significant concern, with number three Marnus Labuschagne under intense scrutiny after another poor performance.
- Labuschagne’s dismissal for four in Mackay, following two poor dismissals in Darwin, has led to calls from former captain Ricky Ponting for a change in the batting lineup.
- Selectors face a dilemma regarding Travis Head’s position as an opener and the overall composition of the batting order for the upcoming tough three-Test tour of South Africa.
- Wicketkeeper Alex Carey stated there is no immediate urgency to shake up the batting lineup, despite acknowledging the team ‘left some runs out there’.
Normal service resumed for Australia as their formidable bowling unit hit their marks in the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay but questions remain over a batting order that continues to misfire at the top. Australia’s innings and 51-run victory was a strong comeback from the Darwin defeat as pace leaders Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins blasted away the tourists’ batters in a timely reminder of their quality ahead of a tough, three-test tour of South Africa in October.
Labuschagne’s Struggles Continue
Australia’s batting has left selectors with a headache, though, and struggling number three Marnus Labuschagne may be nervous about his place in the squad for South Africa. South Africa-born Labuschagne was already under major scrutiny after two poor dismissals in Darwin before he was bowled for four in Mackay by Shoriful Islam, the ball catching his thigh pad before hitting the stumps.
Upon his dismissal, Labuschagne gave the look of a man forsaken by the cricketing gods and later took scissors to his thigh pad in an unusual gear modification. But behind the theatrics was a batter who had strayed far across his crease and given Shoriful a look at leg stump, further evidence for pundits of a need for change. “There’s some technical deficiency there, but he’s making the margin for error for the bowlers too great,” said former Australia captain Ricky Ponting. “It’s well and truly time to have a look at somebody else.”
Batting Order Dilemmas
Labuschagne’s exit would be the second top-order batter dropped in two matches after opener Jake Weatherald was dumped in the wake of the fiasco in Darwin, where Australia fell to a shock nine-wicket defeat. Weatherald’s replacement Matt Renshaw hardly inspired in his first Test in over three years, falling for eight with a nick to the slips, but he will be afforded time to bed into the role.
Whether Travis Head should accompany him at the top of the order remains a troublesome question for selectors. Moved up from the middle order for the Ashes as Usman Khawaja struggled with injury, Head has remained there despite not really being seen as a proper opener. Some former players, including Mark Waugh, want Head back down in the middle order but that would mean gambling with two unproven openers against South Africa, who beat Australia for the World Test Championship title last year.
Looking Ahead to South Africa
With runs in Darwin and Mackay, Cameron Green has belatedly shored up his spot at number five so bringing Head back down would mean upsetting the formula of having wicketkeeper Alex Carey at six and the second all-rounder Beau Webster at seven. Selectors picked a thin 13-man squad for the Bangladesh series but are expected to take at least 16 to South Africa and include additional batting cover. Quite who gets the nod among the batters on the fringes is far from certain, with no real stand-out candidates having emerged.
Carey said there was no urgency to shake up Australia’s batting lineup further. “I think we felt a little bit like we left some runs out there (against Bangladesh), so we are always looking to improve as a batting unit,” he told reporters in Mackay. “We are hungry. We are working really hard.”
