McDonald hints at top-order changes for Australia after WTC final loss

At Lord’s, Marnus Labuschagne was moved up to open alongside Usman Khawaja at Lord's, so as to accommodate a returning Cameron Green at number three. But the move didn’t work, as Labuschagne’s lean run continued, while Khawaja and Green couldn’t make any substantial contributions.

"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.

"But as we sit here right now, you got to say that South Africa were better in this Test match. We've got to look at the improvements that we need to make. There's no doubt about that," said McDonald to reporters on Sunday.

Labuschagne has averaged just 27.82 in the 2023-25 WTC cycle, and doubts have increased over whether he could be dropped for the series against the West Indies. But McDonald insisted that he’s a big part of the team’s future.

"Anyone that averages 45, 46 in Test cricket at that age is important. We've got older players there that are closer to the end than the start. We've got some younger players that are coming in.

"If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order. But at the moment, he'd be disappointed with the returns. He's missed out on big scores. But we're confident that he could return to his best, and hence why we keep picking him. And at what point do we stop picking him?

"I think most players across their journey get dropped at some point in time. I think he had a positive week here where he worked on the right things and had a great prep. There's no harder worker than Marnus. Now it's really just about the returns. And at the moment, as I said, he'd be disappointed," he elaborated.

Talking about Khawaja, McDonald hinted that he could be given the same run which was afforded to David Warner when he was at the ending stage of his Test career. "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, and the way he's moving. He went back to Shield cricket and got 100 last (season). So I think he's got plenty of runs left in him. 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 concluded.