Australia has dropped Jake Weatherald and recalled Matt Renshaw in a bid to stabilise the top order and try to level the two-match series after a shocking loss to Bangladesh in the first cricket Test over the weekend. Australia announced a 13-man squad on Tuesday, with just one change for the second Test in Mackay, in northern Queensland, starting on Saturday. Weatherald scored 23 in the first innings and was dismissed for a duck in the second innings of Australia’s nine-wicket defeat in Darwin. He averages 20.36 across 12 Test innings. Marnus Labuschagne, who scored 1 and 31, was retained in the squad despite concerns over his form.
The 30-year-old Renshaw is a contender to open the batting for Australia alongside Travis Head in his latest comeback to the Test lineup.
Renshaw made his debut in 2016 and played 11 Tests before being dropped in 2018. He was recalled in 2023 for three Tests but has only played in the shorter formats for Australia since then. He averages 29.31, with one century in 14 Tests, but has played only one of his last 10 Tests on Australian soil.
Bangladesh’s first-ever Test win in Australia put pressure on national selectors to make sweeping changes, but the bulk of the ageing squad was retained despite being outplayed in Darwin, where the likes of Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Tanzid Hasan made the most of the tropical conditions.
The victory was celebrated back home too, with the squad receiving a congratulatory video call from the Prime Minister of Bangladesh.
Australia squad: Pat Cummins (captain), Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Matt Renshaw, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc and Beau Webster.
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