Australia’s selectors have ignored calls to send an SOS to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to parachute members of the struggling Test team into the PM’s XI to face the Indian tourists in Canberra this week.
The likes of Marnus Labuschagne, reserve batter Josh Inglis and even vice captain Steve Smith may have benefited from a pink-ball game before the Border-Gavaskar series resumes in Adelaide on December 6.
But any potential move to tweak the PM’s XI, announced last week, was knocked on the head by Australia as India completed a 295-run hiding of the hosts.
This was partly because time at home was considered important for the players, and also because the Australian camp do not want to give the Indian brains trust another look at any of their Test batters before the five-match series resumes with the home side trailing 1-0.
The two-day pink-ball fixture starts on Saturday and will feature the likes of Sam Konstas, Matt Renshaw and Scott Boland.
“The PM’s XI match is a great opportunity for up-and-coming players to play alongside some older heads against a super-strong Indian side,” Albanese told this masthead.
Anthony Albanese and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi present caps during the fourth test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2023. Credit: Alex Ellinghausen
“I’m confident Jack Edwards’ PM’s XI team will show how to best play these incredibly impressive Indian bowlers, and I’m equally confident that Pat Cummins’ Australian team will turn things around in Adelaide.”
On Tuesday morning, former Australian captain Michael Clarke spoke out in favour of adding a Test batter or two to the Manuka Oval fixture, arguing that the opportunity to find some form should overrule the prospect of making another low score against India.
“As a player when you’re under the pump, and you’re not making runs, the risk is there,” Clarke told the Big Sports Breakfast. “You go play club cricket, you could get a good ball and you can nick it. If the selectors are sticking with the same XI – if I’m out of form as a batter, I’m batting.
“I don’t care how big that risk is. Give me some time in the middle because I want to make runs in the next Test, not be scared to fail in the lead-up. That is definitely a realistic option because you know you’re going to get a bat. I’d be taking it before the second Test.”
Marnus Labuschagne leaves the field at Optus Stadium after another low score. Credit: Getty Images
Inglis and Labuschagne will both travel to Adelaide when the team reconvenes on Monday, but it remains highly likely the latter will retain his spot in the top six, given a strong past record against the pink ball. Labuschagne made scores of two and three in Perth.
There is also the prospect of Inglis flying on from Adelaide to Sydney for Western Australia’s scheduled red-ball game against NSW, which overlaps with the second Test in what is the last round of the Sheffield Shield before the Big Bash League.
Head coach Andrew McDonald insisted the Australian team’s preparation had been geared towards the first Test of the summer, rather than prioritising longevity of performance over five Tests.
“No, we were thinking about Test one,” he said. “You always look to get a positive start to the summer – it’s not like you’re focusing on Test match five in terms of where you want to be then. Banking wins is critical, and we’ve got our work cut out as to how we turn that around.
Australian coach Andrew McDonald. Credit: Getty Images
“So match one was our primary focus, and you saw that in the way that we prepared players. We gave up on some international games for certain players, we went through Shield, so we felt the preparation this summer was probably more extensive than previous summers.
“So, we were comfortable, and the preparation is not an excuse for the performance.”
Asked whether he considered sending out-of-form batsmen to Canberra, McDonald replied: “No, that hasn’t crossed our minds. We feel that with the long summer ahead, the prep we’ve got in place – albeit we’ve extended that by a day in Adelaide – we’ll be well prepared, as we were leading into the first Test.”
As for the fierce reaction to the vast margin of defeat – Australia’s second-consecutive Test match loss at home after Shamar Joseph’s deliverance of the West Indies at the Gabba in January – McDonald said the team needed to focus on how to improve.
“The key for us is getting back to the way we want to play and the way we know that we can play,” McDonald said. “We’re not going to sit there and say, ‘We lost by X amount of runs, what does that mean for the next Test match?’
“It’s about how we want to play, the plans we want to put in place, the execution in and around that, and the personnel to do that. We’ve got a bit of work to do in terms of coming out of this game, and we’ll work through that over the next week.
“I think the gap has come at a good stage – it gives us a bit of space. The boys will go home, get into a bit of work back home, and we’ll reconvene next Monday.”
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