Key Australian player likely to be dropped following WTC final defeat

Following Australia’s five-wicket defeat to South Africa in the 2025 ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord's, head coach Andrew McDonald on Saturday hinted that changes to the top order could be on the horizon.

McDonald pointed out the struggles of the top-order batting line without specifically naming Marnus Labuschagne, suggesting that changes might occur moving forward.

Labuschagne had been promoted to open alongside Usman Khawaja for the first time in a bid to accommodate all-rounder Cameron Green at number three. 

However, this strategy did not yield the desired results, with Labuschagne failing to convert starts, while Khawaja and Green also struggled.

Speaking to the media after the defeat, McDonald acknowledged the challenges in settling the top order and hinted that Labuschagne could be under pressure ahead of the upcoming West Indies tour.

“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,” McDonald said.

“We’ve had a bit of musical chairs there, so it might be the time. But as we sit here right now, you’ve 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.”

McDonald expressed belief that Labuschagne could return to form, he was candid about the challenges the 30-year-old faces moving forward.

“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,” McDonald said.

"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,” McDonald added.

McDonald praised Labuschagne for his work ethic and commitment to improvement, acknowledging that while Labuschagne had a positive week in preparation for the final, the lack of big scores remained a concern.

“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,” McDonald explained.

McDonald also offered strong support for veteran opener Usman Khawaja, suggesting that he could be given a similar opportunity to David Warner, who has continued to feature prominently despite nearing the end of his 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,” McDonald said.

McDonald remained confident that Khawaja still had a significant role to play in the team.

“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,” McDonald concluded.