Australia is in Mackay for the second Test against Bangladesh beginning on Saturday with a significant amount on the line after a dispiriting nine-wicket loss to the Tigers in Darwin prompted selectors to sharpen their axe.
Jake Weatherald paid the price for that loss, but the message from Australian coach Andrew McDonald was clear, with Marnus Labuschagne told he needs “big runs” in order to ensure himself a spot on the plane for the South African tour.
Watch every ball of Australia vs Bangladesh Test Series live and ad-break free during play with Fox Cricket on Kayo | New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.
But the Queenslander is not the only player in the squad on notice and the tropical Test shapes as a fascinating match for several reasons, with foxsports.com.au canvassing the Talking Points ahead of the opening ball on Saturday.
A CONCERN WORTH SPINNING
Irrespective of what unfolds in the second Test in Mackay, the nation’s selection panel has already put the ageing Australian team on alert about the importance of performing.
After Weatherald was axed only one match into what could be a 21 Test odyssey over the next 12 months, there was considered thought given to Nathan Lyon’s spot in the team for this match.
Before assessing the pitch in Mackay on Friday afternoon, the Aussies seriously considered shelving the champion in what would have been a first in Pat Cummins’ tenure as captain.
While the champion has missed two Tests over the past 13 months when fit to play, both of those absences occurred in pink ball matches in the Caribbean and in Brisbane.
Lyon had always been considered safe in red ball matches, but his struggle to unsettle the Tigers in Darwin combined with Scott Boland’s spot as a reserve prompted the deep think.
“It’s largely conditions based,“ said Cummins.
“If you think there’s a good chance in that first or second first bowling innings (that) you’re going to take 10 wickets mainly with the quicks relatively quickly, and then perhaps the fourth innings isn’t going to break up.
“That’s a lot of the decision. Then probably related to that is having someone like Scotty Boland on the bench, who obviously is world class. I think that’s why the conversation always comes up.”
While Lyon will play and hopefully star against Bangladesh, even thinking about overlooking him furthers a trend that has raised concerns in the spinning fraternity about their future, at least for Test matches in Australian conditions.
When the star was injured in the Ashes-clinching Adelaide Oval Test in December, his heir-apparent Todd Murphy was called into the squad for what were effective dead-rubbers.
But selectors overlooked the Victorian off-spinner for both the Boxing Day and New Years’ Tests given the seaming decks … and it is possible Lyon might have missed as well.
After Lyon was overlooked at the Gabba, selection chairman George Bailey described it as a “one Test decision” given the conditions, with seamers considered more effective at night.
But the New South Wales-raised bowler was clearly angered by the decision, declaring he was “absolutely filthy” in an interview that aired on the opening day of the Brisbane Test.
Lyon delayed speaking to Bailey or McDonald to let “things settle down in my own head” but it would be fascinating to hear his thoughts after he was not guaranteed a start for this Test before the assessment on Friday afternoon.
Steve Smith summoned up the plight for spin bowlers in Australia after the Boxing Day farce when saying: “I mean, with a lot of the wickets we’re playing on now, I think spin … is the easiest thing to face.”
The chatter sets a tone for South Africa, which boasts an outstanding pace bowling attack, with there no certainty the decks in the country at that time of the year will be conducive to spin, and also for the series against New Zealand this summer.
Fox Cricket’s expert analyst Kerry O’Keeffe said after Murphy was overlooked at the MCG that he was concerned about what it meant for the future of the craft in the country.
“I like for Australia to win Test matches. I want Australia to win. But it hurts me,” he said.
“We are all card carriers of the spin church and when one of our own is left out, it hurts. It hurts the patrons of the church.”
‘These players have a fair bit left’ | 02:28
PUTTING OUT THE SPOT FIRES
Australia’s chairman of selectors George Bailey is not only tasked with identifying the nation’s best cricketers, he is also capable of “holding a hose”, according to Mark Waugh. And he needed one after the Darwin debacle.
But Bailey and his fellow selectors might need a fire tanker if the Aussies fail to win in Mackay after a history-making loss against Bangladesh.
Any result other than a win will see the Aussies post their first loss in a series since 2023 and would further the calls for generational change despite the sustained success in recent years.
The decision to axe Weatherald after six Tests and recall Matt Renshaw, who debuted a decade ago, combined with Cam Green’s return to form has tempered the storm for now.
But the Fox Cricket expert analyst said the landscape for Australia in the future was “a big worry” with major series against South Africa, New Zealand, India and England ahead over the next 12 months.
“Australian selectors have put out a few bushfires with Weatherald dropped, Renshaw coming in and Cam Green scoring runs, that was a big bonus … but there’s still potential hurdles in the next 12 months with other players,” Waugh told 2GB this week.
“That’s probably why Marnus Labuschagne has kept his spot, to be honest. If someone was knocking down the door, then he would be in real trouble.”
That does not change the scenario confronting Labuschagne in Mackay given McDonald’s declaration in Darwin, which followed the call-out from Cummins about the top-order not making enough runs consistently.
The No.3 most recent century came in the 2023 Ashes and he has averaged just 25.23 in his past 42 innings, which is why he is under massive pressure having previously been dropped in the Caribbean last winter.
“Scoring hundreds is a fairly important part of the job when you are an experienced No.3 batter,” former fast bowler Mitch Johnson wrote in a column for The Nightly.
“Labuschagne has not consistently performed the role required of him even when Australia has been winning. Winning can cover cracks. It does not mean those cracks are not there.”
Green reveals what sparked form return | 02:48
‘QUESTION MARKS SURROUND HIM’: AUSSIE ASHES DILEMMA RE-EMERGES
Beau Webster has done little wrong for Australia when called on over the past couple of years.
But one of Australia’s most consistent performers might also need a significant score in Mackay to sure up his place in the side, despite a history of delivering for the nation when required.
With Cameron Green scoring his first century on home soil in Darwin and most of Australia’s top order being under the pump, the need for two all-rounders is once again a question that is sure to be raised at the selectors’ meetings.
Webster lost his spot in the team for the first four Ashes Tests last summer as his all-round skills were deemed surplus to requirements with Green once again fit to bowl, having fully recovered from back surgery.
The towering Tasmanian was recalled for the series finale at the SCG – hitting 71 not out from No.9 – with Green struggling, Josh Inglis failing to take his chances in Brisbane and Adelaide and no specialist spinner called upon on grassy surfaces after Nathan Lyon’s hamstring injury.
He was retained for the Bangladesh series as a result but returns of 12 and 5 in Darwin may prompt selectors to return to their thinking from most of last summer if Webster, who is adamant he has earned a spot in his batting, fails to fire in Mackay.
What concerned Kayo Sports’ expert analysts was the manner Webster fell in both innings at Marrara Oval.
He twice lost the top of his off stump, initially by Bangladesh seamer Taskin Ahmed on day one and then by spinner Mehidy Hasan Miraz as Australia tried to fight to stay in the Test on the fourth day.
The caveat is that both deliveries were beauties but being knocked over by such balls has become an unwanted habit for Webster, with five of his 13 dismissals at Test level having been bowled, including his last three.
It could simply be credited as good bowling, but when Mehidy went through Webster’s defence in Darwin, Waugh was worried about the fact the tall Tasmanian was being caught on the crease.
O’Keeffe also raised concerns about Webster’s defensive nous against precise bowling, though he is far from alone in the Australian team or around the world in this respect.
“That’s the key against Beau Webster,” O’Keeffe said.
“The question marks surround him when he defends. He’s a good attacker, but when they’ve got him blocking, they know they’re in the shake-up.”
Webster earned his Test call-up at the SCG against India in January last year off the back of dominant Sheffield Shield form.
But questions arose at the time about his ability to translate his game to Test level given he typically bats at No.6 for Tasmania.
His record so far has alleviated those concerns, with the 32-year-old scoring 469 runs at 36.07 with five half-centuries in nine Tests, which helped him burgeon as a man capable of delivering when Australia was in a crisis.
Striking half-centuries on debut, in the World Test Championship final loss to South Africa and in the Caribbean when Australia’s top order had faltered, he has also chipped in with 11 wickets at 28.18 with his combination of seam and spin.
But a bad loss in Darwin has shone sharpened the spotlight on what is an ageing team amid calls to freshen it up with youth.
As well as Green’s turnaround in fortunes, the Nos. 6 and 7 slots have traditionally been used to blood a promising young batter. With Alex Carey a lock, Webster is logically under some pressure, though his record should buy him some time.
Webster was not particularly threatening with the ball when sending down 12.2 overs but was used to allow the big quicks to change ends and when the game was dead and buried in the second innings, and Australia was worried about its over rate.
Asked before the series began whether him and Green being the same side can last, he replied: “Absolutely. I don’t see why not.”
“I always said in the last sort of 12 to 24 months, when these conversations come up, it’s surely more of a benefit to have more options in that top seven with the ball, and I certainly don’t see it as a direct competition,” Webster said.
“I feel like it only adds more options and more benefits for the captain if we’re obviously both performing with the bat, which is probably both our main skill and what we can offer in the field.
“I love playing with Cameron. I love having the options as well. If he’s on with the ball or if I’m on with the ball, we can probably chop and change if the big three (fast bowlers) and the spinner need a chop-out or whatever it may be.”
Webster’s point certainly stands, but he will need to issue a reminder that he is in the best seven batters in the country.
Haddin Hits Back at Shield Changes | 02:30
A SALUTE TO A GREAT GLOVEMAN
After Alex Carey’s pivotal performance in a glorious Ashes campaign, legendary wicketkeeper Adam Gilchrist waxed lyrical about the development of the South Australian.
Carey, who will become the seventh Australian wicketkeeper to reach 50 Tests when Australia plays Bangladesh in Mackay, starred with the bat and the gloves against England.
Standing up to the stumps to keep when Scott Boland and others were bowling flummoxed the Bazball-addled brains of rival batsmen as Carey snared 27 catches and a stumping.
With the willow he made 323 runs at 46, which included a century at home on Adelaide Oval in a season in which he was narrowly edged for Allan Border Medal honours by Travis Head.
And the reason? Gilchrist, who presented Carey with his Baggy Green in 2021/22, has always watched him closely and said his deduction to improving was superb.
“It is no surprise to see him elevate it to where he did because he just works so hard and has a tremendous work ethic and he has a desire to improve,” Gilchrist told foxsports.com.au
“The longer you get exposed at a higher level, if you have the right attitude, you are naturally going to develop your game and improve and he was absolutely sensational.”
Carey sits second behind Gilchrist in terms of his batting average among the seven Australian keepers to reach 50 Tests, having scored 2,382 runs at 35.5 to date.
For the record, Gilchrist was a standout with 5,570 runs at 47.6, with Brad Haddin third with 3,265 runs at 32.9, while Ian Healy and Rod Marsh averaged a tick either side of 27, with Bert Oldfield managing 22.6 and Wally Grout 15.
But Carey, who batted at No.6 in Darwin and was frustrated to get out for 19 and 30 after building a platform to launch for significant scores, knows what his main duty is.
“(I’m) picked as a wicketkeeper. That’s my number one role in the team,” he said.
“I guess if you said your wicketkeeping has got worse, then I haven’t been working on the right things. I’m always looking for ways to improve it from Test one to Test two and now 50.
“To play 50 Tests – it’s great. I want to play a lot more. If I look back from the start to now, I feel like I’ve learned a lot about my game and myself as a person.
“When you start out, you’re going after that position, and then there’s times where you’ve got other guys snapping at your heels. But … I feel like I’ve really nailed that process over the past couple of years.”
Carey backs Weatherald despite dropping | 01:10
THE CALCULUS SURROUNDING THE WORLD TEST CHAMPIONSHIP RACE
Carey is confident that the Australians will rebound strongly in Mackay after the Darwin debacle and a positive response would be timely for several reasons.
Australia has not lost a series since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy tour of India almost four years ago and while they cannot win this series, they can square it with a win in Mackay.
But there is also the longer term consideration of securing a spot in the World Test Championship Final, which will be held at The Oval, for the third consecutive edition.
Australia heads the table in the current cycle with seven wins from nine Tests and has a percentage of 77.8, with reigning champions South Africa (three wins from four Tests) second.
New Zealand (72.2), Bangladesh (66.7) and India (53.3) are the other teams within range of playing in the decider depending on results over the next six months.
Based on current estimates, the Aussies would need six wins and a draw from the next 13 Tests against Bangladesh, South Africa, New Zealand and India to be well-placed for a spot.
South Africa, which hosts Australia in a three Test tour in October, need five wins and two draws from its remaining 10 Tests to sit about a 60 per cent threshold.
New Zealand, which defeated England on the road and head to Australia for four Tests this summer, would need to win five of its 10 Tests, and post a draw, to reach 60 per cent.
But the Aussies primary focus is on the present, with Carey saying history suggests this team will respond to a poor Test.
“We’re a proud group of cricketers and obviously last week didn’t go to plan,” he said.
“We’ve reflected, we’ve talked about it. We always have those conversations in real time as well. We didn’t wait until after the game to have those conversations.
“If I can say anything, when this team has been challenged, we always find a way to bounce back in a big way. I’m looking forward to Saturday.”
#Adessonews seleziona nella rete articoli di particolare interesse.
Se vuoi leggere l’articolo completo clicca sul seguente link
Source link
