McDonald keeps knees steady amid calls for wholesale changes

Australian coach Andrew McDonald won’t be rushing into any sweeping kneejerk changes for his 2024/25 Test squad heading into the second battlefield in the Border Gavaskar Trophy series, though the eleven players who take the field in Adelaide next week may not be exactly the same.

In one of his final conversations with media before leaving Perth – and going all but dark in the 10 day witching hour between the opening-test bloodbath and Adelaide’s day-night battle – the Aussie helmsman confirmed the squad he’d taken into Perth will be fronting up in South Australia early next week.

“As I said, the squad that’s in (Perth), they’ll be there in Adelaide,” McDonald said.

“[Beyond that], we’ll assess that as we go along.”

Among the most wanted changes demanded by pundits and fans alike include Marnus Labuschagne hitting the pine after he dished up another two whimpering knocks; the last saw he chalk up two runs after facing 52 balls.

McDonald isn’t rushing to chop and change quite like the media would have anyone believe though. Instead, the Aussie boss says Labuschagne is going to be given every possibility to recapture the spark that made him a terror against so many bowling attacks over the years. “when we’ve seen him at his best, he’s shown great intent at the crease.”

While the easy answer may have been taking him out of the playing lineup all together – and that may dramatic move still happen, The Sporting Base understands – McDonald would rather see him play through “one of those patches” every star has eventually.

“No doubt, he’ll be getting critiqued externally, but internally, we’re really confident that at his best, he’s the player we need.”

Other players under the microscope include all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who was visibly pulling up gingerly when bowling, and youngster Nathan McSweeney who had to debut under a torrid fire. The Sporting Base expects both to play, but if McDonald goes the other way he did concede there’s “enough players banging down the door” should they be needed.

Among them are Brendan Doggett, who shone in the Australia A squad just recently.

Teen sensation Sam Konstas could be another choice, though McDonald likely wants him to develop more.

Then of course there’s David Warner’s teased return – an unlikely comeback no one would really want.

No matter what happens, the Aus squad has breathing room now. McDonald will go away and assess tape with captain Pat Cummins and the senior players before deciding how the star-studded team should and will respond in Adelaide.

“The key for us is getting back to the way that we want to play and the way that 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 that we want to put in place, the execution around that, and the personnel to do that.

“We’ve got a bit of assessment to do in terms of bodies 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 and gives space, because we go home, get into a little bit of work back home, and then we’ll reconvene.”