Australia head coach Andrew McDonald has admitted that Marnus Labuschagne needs a big score after the defeat to Bangladesh in Darwin. Labuschagne scored 1 and 31 in the first Test, putting his place under scrutiny ahead of the second and final Test in Mackay, starting on Saturday, August 22.
Australia, led by Pat Cummins, suffered a nine-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in the first Test at the Marrara Cricket Ground, their first-ever loss to the visitors on home soil. The national selectors will meet on Monday to assess the top-order batting lineup before the second Test at Great Barrier Reef Arena.
Ultimately, It’s 31 - Andrew McDonald on Marnus Labuschagne
Andrew McDonald said that Marnus Labuschagne showed encouraging signs during his second-innings. He said that some of the technical changes the batter has worked under pressure, but he still needs to convert starts into big scores.
“We want runs is the bottom line. I think it was 31 he got in the second innings, and up until the point he got out, you'd sit there and say he was looking good.”
“He was moving well, he's clipping off his pads, he was getting back through the ball down the ground. So it's easy for me to sit here and try to defend that, but ultimately it's 31. It's not a big score. He's lacked runs. He feels that. We feel that.”
“It's one thing to talk about the player. You've got to talk coaching. We've got to get the best out of Marn as well. And we're working through that. I think we saw some change in the way that he played, so that's good.”
You Can Try to Make These Changes - Andrew McDonald on Marnus Labuschagne
Maruns Labuschagne extended his Test century drought to 42 innings since his last hundred in July 2023. During that period, he has averaged 25.32 and scored only nine half-centuries. His recent run has been worse, with 166 runs at 18.44 across his last nine Test innings.
The batter had already faced selection pressure after being dropped against the West Indies last year. He responded strongly in domestic cricket, scoring five centuries in nine innings for Queensland across Sheffield Shield and one-day cricket.
“You can try to make these changes, and then when you get put under extreme pressure in the middle, sometimes those changes don't hold. So it was good to see them hold up. But it is 31. He's disappointed of that missed opportunity. He needs some big runs,” McDonald said.
The easy option is to call for change - Andrew McDonald
Jake Weatherald is also under pressure after scoring 23 and 0 in Darwin. The opener averages 20.36 from 12 Test innings and had made changes to his stance and movement after the Ashes to reduce the risk of lbw dismissals.
However, Weatherald was dismissed after edging behind and then chopping on in the first Test against Bangladesh. Andrew McDonald said that it was too early to judge whether the technical changes would work consistently under Test-match pressure.
"There was some change to Jake in terms of where he lined up and his movement patterns," McDonald said. "It's always hard to critique small sample sizes as to whether it holds up. [He] dragged one on, 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."
Josh Inglis is the only spare batter in the 13-man squad, although he has limited experience batting in the top three in first-class cricket. Matt Renshaw appears to be the strongest alternative if Australia decide to make a change at the top.
The Queensland batter scored three Sheffield Shield centuries in 10 innings last season and averaged 49.90. He also has an impressive record at the Great Barrier Reef Arena. Renshaw has scored 170 and 135 in two of his three Sheffield Shield innings in Mackay.
