Australia head coach McDonald mulls top-order changes after WTC final loss to South Africa

ANI June 15, 2025 223 views

Australia's top-order woes resurfaced in their WTC final loss to South Africa, prompting coach Andrew McDonald to consider changes. Marnus Labuschagne's lean patch continues despite promotion, while Usman Khawaja's technical flaws against pace were exposed again. Youngster Sam Konstas could get a look-in for the West Indies tour if Steve Smith remains injured. McDonald emphasized the need for stability but acknowledged the growing pressure on underperforming batters ahead of the Ashes.

"It might be the time to bed down that opening combination" – Andrew McDonald
London, June 15: Australia head coach Andrew McDonald hinted at a rejig in the top order after misfiring in the World Test Championship (WTC) final defence against South Africa at Lord's.

Key Points

1

Labuschagne's struggles continue with 27.82 WTC average

2

Khawaja faces scrutiny after Rabada dismissals

3

Sam Konstas pushes for top-order return

4

McDonald hints at stability over rotation

Marnus Labuschagne was a hot topic during the buildup to the high-stakes final, which Australia lost by five wickets. Amid his lean phase with the bat, Labuschagne was promoted to the top of the order with hopes of his return to blazing form. However, he returned with scores of 17 and 22, leaving him with an average of 27.82 for the WTC cycle and making his position in the team uncertain.

With Australia's tour of the West Indies scheduled to begin on June 25, young Sam Konstas has been pushing his case for a return to the top spot since the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. Labuschagne could retain his spot if Steve Smith fails to recover in time after sustaining a finger injury on the third day of the WTC final.

"It was a big discussion leading into this Test match, and I was on the record a couple of weeks ago talking about the need to bed down that opening combination. We've had a bit of musical chairs there, so it might be the time," head coach Andrew McDonald said as quoted from ESPNcricinfo.

Australia's seasoned opener, Usman Khawaja, returned to the unwanted spotlight after his twin dismissals to Kagiso Rabada at Lord's. Earlier this year, Khawaja struck his career-best 232 against Sri Lanka three Tests ago. However, his Achilles Heel against pace from around the wicket was again exposed.

Despite his struggles, Khawaja is expected to enjoy an elongated run, just like his former partner David Warner received when he was under question during the latter stage of his career. If Khawaja continues to get backed, he will be one of the candidates for the highly anticipated Ashes later this year.

"He's on contract, he's an important player. He gives us stability at his best at the top. And we like to look at our players at their best. No doubt, a couple of failures here and people then start to talk about maybe it's the end. I don't see an end date with the way he's training, the way he's preparing, the way he's moving. He went back to Shield cricket, got 100 last [season]. So I think he's got plenty of runs left in him," McDonald said

"It'll come down to his inner drive and the way he prepares. It was a bit the same with Davey as well. The way he moved, we saw some positives in that. We knew that the runs were around the corner. We feel as though Usman's got a big part to play," he added.

Reader Comments

Here are 6 diverse Indian perspective comments on the cricket article:
R
Rahul K.
Australia's batting woes continue! As an Indian fan, I remember how our top order struggled in WTC final last year too. Maybe they should give young players like Konstas a chance instead of sticking with underperforming seniors. Khawaja's technique against pace is worrying ahead of Ashes 🇦🇺🏏
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Priya M.
Labuschagne's decline is surprising! He was so consistent against India in BGT. Maybe the pressure of being the "next Smith" is getting to him. Australia should handle him carefully - we've seen how form slumps can destroy talented players (remember Pujara's phase?). Hope he bounces back! 🤞
A
Arjun S.
Interesting to see Australia facing similar transition problems as India did. Their batting looks fragile without Warner's aggression. But they have good bench strength - Cameron Green could be promoted up the order? From an Indian perspective, this makes Ashes more competitive which is good for Test cricket!
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Sanjana T.
Coach McDonald sounds exactly like our team management when defending seniors 😅 "He's training well", "runs around corner" - we've heard this before! But credit to Australia for backing players longer than most teams. Khawaja might just repay that faith in Ashes like Pujara did in BGT 2021.
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Vikram J.
As neutral fans, we should appreciate South Africa's win! Their pace attack outbowled Australia's much-hyped trio. Rabada showing why he's among the best. Hope BCCI is watching - we need to prepare better for SA tour later this year. Their fast bowlers will be lethal in home conditions 🔥
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Neha R.
The musical chairs reference is spot on! Australia's instability reminds me of our opening pair struggles before Rohit-Rahul settled. Maybe they need to take a leaf from Dravid's book - give new players consistent chances instead of constant chopping

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Tags:
Australia cricket WTC final Andrew McDonald Marnus Labuschagne Usman Khawaja South Africa Test cricket