It means regular No.3 Marnus Labuschagne holds his place in the squad, with Australia coach Andrew McDonald admitting the right-hander had some work to do to ensure his place in the team going forward.
“I think it was 31 he got in the second innings, and up until the point he got out, you’d sit there and say he was looking good,” McDonald said of Labuschagne.
“He was moving well, he’s clipping off his pads, he was getting back through the ball down the ground. So it’s easy for me to sit here and try to defend that, but ultimately it’s 31. It’s not a big score. He’s lacked runs. He feels that. We feel that. We’re working incredibly hard as a coaching group.”
Back-up keeper-batter Josh Inglis and reserve bowler Scott Boland retain their place in Australia’s squad for the second Test that commences on Saturday and could come into contention for a recall.
