Australia coach Andrew Macdonald has confirmed he will keep the same 13-man squad for the second match despite the heavy loss in Perth. However, Andrew McDonald has raised concerns about all-rounder Mitchell Marsh’s fitness and ability to bowl in the day-night Test match.
Australia suffered one of their worst home Test defeats. The Pat Cummins-led side lost the series opener by 295 runs at Optus Stadium in Perth on Monday 25 November. With a strong record in day-night Tests, Australia will be hoping to bounce back in Adelaide to level the series.
Mitchell Marsh – Andrew McDonald’s arrival has been slightly underwhelming
Andrew McDonald was unsure of Mitchell Marsh’s fitness and said his selection would have to wait. He said that Marsh was a bit underprepared for the match, but added that his performance in the first innings was satisfactory.
“Has he got up? We’ll wait and see. We knew Mitch (Marsh) was coming in a bit weak, but I thought the performance in the first innings was satisfactory,” McDonald told reporters after Australia’s first defeat in five Tests. at Perth Stadium.
Mitchell Marsh Bowled 17 Overs in Two Innings of the First Test
Mitchell Marsh bowled 17 overs in the first Test against India, the most in a single match in three years. He took 2-12 from five overs in India’s first innings and recorded 1-65 from 12 overs in the second innings. The away team declared their second innings with a huge score of 487/6.
Australia also used Marnus Labuschagne (both medium-pacer and leg-spinner) and off-spinner Travis Head in India’s second innings. Labuschagne conceded 38 runs not out in 6.3 overs, while Head finished with 0-26 in five overs. Australia used seven bowlers in the second innings.
Making changes is always the focus – Andrew McDonald
Andrew McDonald has revealed that the performance of Australia’s fifth bowler in the opening Test is not a concern. He said the same squad from the Perth Test would be retained for the Adelaide Test. McDonald added that decisions are made based on the circumstances and the needs of the team.
“The people in that dressing room (for the Perth Test) are the people who will be in Adelaide. Wherever you go in the world in terms of the personnel you select for the conditions, that (making changes) is always a focus,” McDonald said. .
Pink-ball Tests in Adelaide have rarely required more than four bowlers, with Australia’s four main bowlers bowling almost all the overs in the seven day-night matches played since 2015.
However, the risks of relying on just four bowlers were evident in the day-night Test on the first day, when Mitchell Starc was ruled out with a stress fracture in his leg after just nine overs on the first day.
