Table of Contents
Matt Renshaw has returned to Australia's Test side for the second match against Bangladesh in Mackay after Jake Weatherald was dropped following his poor outing in Darwin.
Renshaw is now in line to replace Weatherald in the top order and is the frontrunner to open alongside Travis Head in a must win clash against the Bangla Tigers.
Jake Weatherald flopped badly in Darwin Test against Bangladesh
Weatherald, who made his Test debut during the Ashes, scored 23 in the first innings before being dismissed for a duck in the second and he has managed only one fifty in his Test career, with his average now standing at 20.36 after 12 innings.
Notably, Jake Weatherald made some changes to his batting technique recently to avoid lbw and bowled dismissals, but that didn't bring him the success he hoped, hence, he was shown the exit door just after one match.
Talking about Jake Weatherald, the Australia National Cricket Team head coach Andrew McDonald stated:
"Yeah, there was some change to Jake in terms of where he lined up and his movement patterns.
"It's always hard to critique small sample sizes on whether it holds up (at international level). He dragged one on and drove at one in the first innings and was dismissed; it's probably harder with that smaller sample size to say, 'Yep, that's going to hold up under pressure'. But there was some change though."
Another player, who was under the scanner - Marnus Labuschagne - has survived the axing after his flop show in Darwin and remains in the squad.
Matt Renshaw's performance in Test and First-class cricket
Matt Renshaw has played 14 Tests for Australia, scoring 645 runs in 24 innings at an average of 29.31. He has registered one century and three fifties in Test cricket, with his highest score being 184.
In first-class cricket, Renshaw has a much stronger record. He has played 133 matches and scored 8,188 runs in 234 innings at an impressive average of 37.73. His first-class record includes 26 centuries and 24 fifties, with a highest score of 200 not out.
Renshaw's first-class numbers also highlight his ability to play long innings. He has faced 16,850 balls in the format and has scored more than 8,000 runs, while his 26 centuries show his consistency at the domestic level.
Other than Renshaw, Australia have Josh Inglis in the squad, who is capable of opening the innings, but the chances of it seem very low as he has mostly batted at No. 5 or below for Queensland in the Sheffield Shield..
Australia squad for 2nd Test against Bangladesh:
Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
Notably, Australia suffered a shock nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh in the first Test in Darwin, putting Pat Cummins' side 1-0 down in the two-match series. Australia were bowled out for just 198 in their first innings, with Hasan Mahmud claiming six wickets, before Bangladesh posted 426 to take a huge 228-run lead.
Australia showed some fight in the second innings through Cameron Green, who scored a brilliant 104, but they were eventually bowled out for 284. Bangladesh were left with just 57 runs to win and chased down the target with ease, finishing on 57/1.
