Australian Test cricket crisis laid bare as major shake-up looms, World Test Championship final, South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja, latest team news, updates
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As Australia licks its wounds from an embarrassing five-wicket World Test Championship final defeat at the hands of South Africa, changes are already being discussed both internally and externally.
But there isn't long for Australian selectors to get their ducks in a row, with the next two-year Test cricket cycle beginning later this month with a three-Test series against the West Indies.
There are many things for selectors to mull over, such as who should open the batting, and if it is worth bringing in a second specialist tweaker such as Matt Kuhnemann, with subcontinental conditions usually favouring the tweakers.
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But what does not appear to have changed is the selectors' stubbornness in selecting the best six Australian batsmen irrespective of where they usually bat, their age or whether or not they are in form.
However, sooner rather than later they will need to look beyond just a single Test series as the reality is they have somewhat screwed themselves by sticking solid with the same group of veterans.
The reality is the Australian squad is ageing out and the next generation has been badly devoid of opportunities.
The two youngsters blooded last summer, Nathan McSweeney and Sam Konstas were both dropped despite the former being played in an unfamiliar role as opener and the latter being overlooked for non-openers Travis Head and Marnus Labuschagne.
That was despite the fact he rattled the world's best bowler in the world Jasprit Bumrah and clearly has immense raw untapped ability. Make that make sense.
Australia need to make changes and fast. Image: Getty
Aussie fans have been blessed with a strong generation of cricketers, which has resulted in the side taking out major tournament after major tournament until now.
The WTC final defeat will be a tough pill to swallow but for Aussie fans, it could be about to get much worse, with years of selection decisions set to come back to bite in the long run.
In the World Test Championship, Cam Green was the only Aussie under the age of 30 in the team.
And when injuries have presented selectors with the chance to blood youth, instead they routinely turn to the likes of Scott Boland and Michael Neser and others deep into their 30s.
It has seen many other fast bowlers come and go as nothing more than Sheffield Shield journeymen and it is even more grim for the batsman.
That is why the likes of Labuschagne, Usman Khawaja and before them David Warner were almost undroppable.
Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw have all come and gone, dropped at the first sign of struggle, while others hold onto their spots regardless of their output.
The reality is that come the next WTC final, it would be fair to assume half of the Australian side that lined up this week will be retired, so major changes need to happen sooner rather than later.
Josh Inglis could solve Australia's opener woes. (Photo by)
Who should Australia select for the West Indies series?
Let's start with the openers. It's time to go Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja.
Khawaja returned scores of 0 and 6 in the WTC final and has had a very grim few years with the bat, barring one series against Sri Lanka.
At 38 years of age, his time has come and gone and luckily for Australia, there is a ready-made replacement in Konstas.
The teenager has a lot of work to do granted but there is no shortage of raw talent and competitiveness ready to be moulded into a potentially generational batsman.
While fellow WTC final opener Labuschagne is badly out of touch and a stint back in Sheffield Shield could do him the world of good.
He is averaging just 25.63 in Tests during the 2024/25 season and looked devoid of all confidence against South Africa.
In his place, I would go with Josh Inglis.
His rapid-fire century on Test debut in Sri Lanka earlier this year reinforced his credentials as a red ball player and is someone who Australia needs to find a spot for. So why not at opener?
Steve Smith is a No. 3 whether he likes it or not. That move would also allow for Cam Green to slot in at his preferred four.
However, it is worth noting Smith dislocated his finger in the loss to the Proteas.
If he isn't fit I could advocate for Nathan McSweeney to come in.
At 26 years old, the batsman's best years are ahead of him and after two strong Sheffield Shield seasons he deserves a proper crack in the Test fold, where he isn't thrown to the wolves facing the new ball.
From there I would keep it fairly similar to the side who were beaten by South Africa with Travis Head, Beau Webster and Alex Carey rounding out the middle order.
From there, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are all nearly undroppable as is Nathan Lyon.
But I could entertain a rotation of one pace bowler getting a rest so tweaker Matt Kuhnemann could make up a two-pronged spin attack with Lyon.
Sam Konstas deserves another crack at opener. (Photo by)
Nathan McSweeney has been strong at Sheffield Shield level in the past few seasons. (Photo by)
Pat Cummins suggests changes are on the cards
With the 2027 WTC cycle kicking off when Australia travel to the West Indies, Australian skipper Cummins hinted that changes could be on the cards.
'We've got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies, so we'll sit down and have a bit of a think after we digest this game,' he said.
'But for me, I think a new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset.
'It's probably more for the selectors and for me to sit down and map it ahead.'
Cummins also suggested the likes of Konstas and Inglis could find themselves in the team come the first Test against the Windies.
'Coming to this match, you've got guys like Sam Konstas and Scotty Boland and Josh Inglis, all those guys were right on the fringes,' he said.
'So I think again, after this Test match, everyone gets thrown back into the conversation.'
Australia's three-Test series against West Indies in Barbados kicks off on June 25.
Predicted Australian XI to face the West Indies
1. Sam Konstas
2. Josh Inglis
3. Steve Smith (or Nathan McSweeney)
4. Cam Green
5. Travis Head
6. Beau Webster
7. Alex Carey
8. Pat Cummins
9. Mitchell Starc
10. Nathan Lyon
11. Josh Hazlewood
Originally published as 'Screwed themselves': Aussie crisis laid bare as major Test shake-up looms
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'I'd like to say mum basically tipped me out of my (wheel) chair and into the pool. 'She said 'you are not going to be sitting around because of your disability'. You are going to be active,'' Bishop recalled. 'I learned to do that (swim) before I learned to walk again.'' First stop in the rebirth of his sporting journey was the Somerville House school pool, not far from the hospital where he was staying. 'I don't remember swimming being too difficult. Obviously the kick was not as strong, but I could float and I made it to the other end, so I was happy.'' Joining Bishop in the water was his mum, Clare. 'As soon as his wounds were healed, I took him in a wheelchair up to Somerville House pool and tipped him in and it was the first time he had probably smiled since the accident,'' Clare said. Lewis Bishop and his parents, at the Red Carpet arrival of Paris Olympians and Paralympians for 2024 Swimming Australia Awards - Photo Steve Pohlner 'We knew the only way forward was to keep him active the best way we could,'' said his mother Clare. 'It was hard. You want to wrap him up in cotton wool, but we also knew the only way forward was to be mentally engaged. And being a sporting boy, we needed to follow his natural inclination (of being involved in sport). 'He loved the water as a baby. I think he swam before he walked,'' Clare recalled. 'He loves a challenge and he took it.'' Paralympian Lewis Bishop arrives home from Paris in 2024 to friends and family. Pics Adam Head Bishop's love of the water came from his time in coastal Gove, the Northern Territory, when his father was working in the mines. 'It was amazing fishing,'' Bishop recalled. From there the family moved to PNG where Bishop's love affair with the water continued. So when he was looking to resume a sporting life following his accident, it was only natural that this water baby hit the pool. Bishop, who attended St Bernard's Primary School and then Clairvaux MacKillop College, trains under Josh Smith at Rackley Swimming Hibiscus. Last week his progression continued when he made the world championship squad headed to Singapore in September. Lewis Bishop, left, is part of the QAS program along with fellow athletes Abby Carswell and Seth Macdonald. Bishop is a part of the Paralympics Australia's Imagine Education Program which educates students about the Paralympic movement, the Games and Para sports. Paralympians like Bishop from the Queensland Academy of Sport visit primary schools to help break down stigma around disability. Currently, only 25 percent of people with a disability participate in sport and Bishop would like to help that to change. The tension mounts for Lewis Bishop in Paris. (Photo by) Having once looked up to Olympians and paralympians, Bishop is now one of those young men educating the youth of today about disability in sport. 'I hope to inspire the future generation,'' Bishop said. 'When I was in primary school (at St Bernard's School) and a Paralympian had visited, that would have been pretty special. And now I do that. It is an honour to be able to give back.'' For Bishop, he is only in the middle of his sporting dream. It all started in that Somerville House pool when he entered the water from a wheelchair 10 years ago, it continued in Paris at the Games, and it could end in Brisbane at the 2023 Olympic and Paralympic Games. 'I feel like I am just getting started. Brisbane (2032) is coming up on the horizon so I want to stay around for that.'' Bishop dares to dream because he knows dreams do come true. After all, he is alive, isn't he, he can walk and he can swim - very, very well.
