Former Australian selector Mark Waugh believes it is a “50/50 call” on whether Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne will hold their spots after they failed to fire in Australia’s shock loss to Bangladesh in the first Test in Darwin.
Weatherald made scores of 23 and 0, while Labuschagne could only muster 1 and 31 as Australia’s top order batting woes reared their ugly head in the Top End.
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Weatherald, who made his Test debut in the Ashes, and Labuschagne, who was recalled to the side for the last home summer after carrying the drinks in the West Indies, came into this series against Bangladesh under intense scrutiny.
In his first taste of Test cricket, Weatherald scored just one fifty against England and the opener’s career average now sits at 21.27 after 12 innings.
While Labuschagne made 259 runs at 28.77 last summer, and has not scored a Test century since the fourth Test of the 2023 Ashes series at Old Trafford.
With Australia naming a 13-man squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, the pair came into the series expected to be given the chance to play in Darwin and Mackay.
But Waugh believes George Bailey and his selection panel may need a rethink after the nation’s first ever loss to Bangladesh on home soil.
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“Australia bowled better than they batted in this game. They’ll be better for the run a lot of the bowlers,” Waugh said in conversation with Adam Gilchrist, David Warner and Alyssa Healy on Fox Cricket post-match in Darwin.
“It’s really about the batting. The top three.
“Okay, we’ll leave Travis Head there for the moment. I don’t think he’s an opener, but anyway, he’s going to open.
“It’s Jake Weatherald and Marnus Labuschagne. Those guys need runs. There’s no doubt about it.
“I’m just wondering whether the selectors have said them to before this Test: ‘okay, you’ve got these two Test matches to prove your spot in the team’.
“I’m concerned about Jake Weatherald. Looking at him, he’s trying to tinker with his technique. I think there’s lot of things going on in his head.
“He’s making life very difficult for himself and Marnus, we said he batted better in the second innings. But he could have been out earlier a number of times.
“He hasn’t made big runs for a while. He’s got runs in the bank, which is sort of keeping him in the side.
“I think it’s a 50/50 call on these guys for the next Test. I think Weatherald’s probably the one in the biggest danger. Marnus, I’d give him another go.”
“Do you add two new fresh faces without any cricket under their belt going to South Africa, which is a massive series?” Warner replied.
“That’s the massive question for me.”
“It’s pretty bad planning if you haven’t got your guys next in line (ready),” Waugh responded.
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Josh Inglis, who played in Brisbane and Adelaide during the Ashes, is the reserve batter in the squad.
But Australia’s white-ball gloveman is not regarded as a top order option in the game’s longest format.
In his five Test appearances to date, Inglis has bounced around the middle order.
He scored a century from No.5 on debut in Sri Lanka early last year.
The West Australian filled in for Steve Smith at No.4 for a Test in the Caribbean, and then batted at No.7 in his three hits against England.
With Smith settled at No.4, Cameron Green scoring a century at No.5 and fellow wicketkeeper Alex Carey starring at No.6 during the Ashes, dropping Weatherald or Labuschagne for Inglis would either force a reshuffle or Inglis would need to bat out of position.
That dilemma has faced Australia before with Smith having a stint opening the batting to accommodate Green at No.4.
As well as Green batting at No.3 in the West Indies and the World Test Championship final, where Labuschagne opened, last year.
To avoid such a situation, Waugh believes the selectors need to look to specialised top order players.
“Josh Inglis is in this squad,” Waugh said.
“Is he the next in line? To my eye, you’ve got Matt Renshaw and Nathan McSweeney. I’d have them two (ahead of Inglis).”
Renshaw trained with the Australian squad in Brisbane in the lead-up to this series.
The left-hander scored three centuries and averaged 49.90 in six Shield appearances for Queensland last summer.
White-ball commitments for Australia stopped his tally of 499 runs from becoming in the top echelon of the competition.
While a call-up would be more logistically challenging for McSweeney.
“(McSweeney) would have to get on a plane pretty quickly,” Waugh said.
The 27-year-old, who opened the batting in three Tests against India the summer before last, is currently playing county cricket in England for Northamptonshire, under former Australian coach Darren Lehmann.
McSweeney has scored 589 runs at 49.08 in the second division of the County Championship this season, including three centuries.
He has been mainly batting at No.4 for Northamptonshire, but typically walks out at No.3 as captain of South Australia.
McSweeney scored a crucial half-century from first drop in the Sheffield Shield final, won by South Australia, in March.
He managed 477 runs at 28.05, including a century last Shield season, but Warner believes McSweeney is Australia’s long-term solution.
“He’s your No.3 for me,” Warner said.
Waugh then added: “Renshaw could open. He has opened for Australia before.”
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The weight of such a change is not lost on Waugh, however.
Even with Australia having at least 19 more Tests to play across the next 12 months, Waugh believes axing Weatherald and Labuschagne would rule a line through them for good.
“If Weatherald and Marnus go, they’re not coming back,” he said.
“As a selector, you know that’s the end of their career at Test level.”
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