MACKAY — Following a shocking setback in the series opener, Australia have wielded the axe on their top order. The national selectors have recalled left-handed opener Matthew Renshaw to the Test squad in place of Jake Weatherald ahead of the crucial second and final Test against Bangladesh.
Weatherald’s international run came under immediate scrutiny after he managed scores of just 23 and a duck in the first Test, where Australia were rolled over for a modest 198 in their opening innings. Searching for stability at the top of the order, Australian team management turned back to Renshaw to plug the leaks ahead of the clash in Mackay starting August 22.
The call-up marks a return to the red-ball international stage for Renshaw, who last featured in a Test match back in 2023 when he stepped in as a concussion substitute for David Warner. While the 28-year-old left-hander has featured in white-ball squads for Australia in recent years, he spent over three years on the sidelines waiting for another opportunity in the longest format of the game.
Renshaw brings a solid first-class track record to the setup. Across 12 Test appearances for Australia, he has scored 645 runs at an average of 29.31, including a century and three fifty-plus scores. At the domestic level, his credentials are formidable—accumulating 8,188 first-class runs at an average of 37.73, backed by 26 centuries.
Labuschagne Under the Scanner
Weatherald isn't the only top-order batter feeling the heat. Questions continue to linger around Marnus Labuschagne’s prolonged slump with the bat. However, head coach Andrew McDonald defended the senior batter while acknowledging the urgency for big runs.
"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," McDonald told reporters. "He was moving well, he was 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. We're working incredibly hard as a coaching group to get that right," McDonald added.
Australia will be desperate to fix their top-order vulnerabilities and restore parity in the two-match series when the second Test gets underway on August 22.
Australia Squad for 2nd Test:
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.
