Will Marnus Labuschagne be dropped from Australia's Test team?
What's the story
Australia's head coach Andrew McDonald has hinted at a possible change in the squad for the upcoming series against New Zealand. The coach defended Marnus Labuschagne, who is likely to be dropped for the second time in 18 months after a disappointing tour of South Africa. Despite Australia's 2-1 series defeat, which included innings of 99 and 111 runs, McDonald sees potential growth in his team's batting.
Silver linings
Green and Inglis's performances give hope
McDonald pointed out the impressive performances of Cameron Green and Josh Inglis in the final Test's first innings.
Inglis scored a century on his last-minute inclusion for an injured Steven Smith, while Matt Renshaw emerged as the series' top run-scorer.
Despite Smith's struggles during the tour, McDonald doesn't think it has brought him closer to retirement.
He also confirmed Nathan Lyon is still their first-choice spinner but acknowledged discussions around the team's "age profile" will continue.
Uncertain future
Concerns over Labuschagne's future
Labuschagne's future in the squad is uncertain after he failed to score more than four runs in two innings at Newlands.
He hasn't scored a half-century in 16 Test innings and has an average of 23.66 since his return for last season's Ashes.
McDonald defended giving every player an opportunity to play for Australia and said they'll reassess Labuschagne's situation moving forward.
"We believed in Marnus for this tour. We'll have to reassess that as we move forward. Others will sit there and say what that means for him. There'll be a lot of speculation," McDonald said as per Cricinfo.
Optimism
Balancing the old with the new
Despite the series defeat, McDonald is hopeful about his team's future.
He said, "It's still a very good cricket team with a lot of very good players in there."
He stressed on balancing the current squad with potential new entrants while addressing the age profile of the team.
"But we're always going to have decisions to make, in particular around the age profile of our team. We're probably asking ourselves the same questions as you guys are."
Support
McDonald defends Green's performance
McDonald defended Green's performance after he struggled on the final day in Cape Town.
He recalled a previous instance where Green had performed well under extreme conditions in Galle, Sri Lanka.
McDonald said he was confident that whatever challenges come his way in any conditions, he would be able to succeed.
Defense
Will Lyon continue to remain Australia's 1st-choice spinner?
Ahead of the New Zealand series, McDonald defended Lyon's place in the squad.
He took six wickets at an average of 43.66 in the series but was left out for Scott Boland at St George's Park.
"I don't think it's something to review now," he said, adding that they will go through Shield cricket before deciding on any changes.