Wildcard option to solve Aussies’ biggest issue as coach responds over Marnus future

Australian coach Andrew McDonald has flagged Travis Head as a wildcard option to open in the West Indies while acknowledging he is not in charge of a “perfect team”.

After Australia’s hold on the World Test Championship ended with a five wicket loss to South Africa at Lord’s, the next two-year cycle begins later this month with a three Test series against the West Indies.

With Steve Smith almost certain to miss the opening Test in Barbados beginning on June 25, and with the prospect spin could be significant in the Caribbean, the Australians have much to consider.

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Should the tracks prove to be turners, Australia could field both Nathan Lyon and Matt Kuhnemann in the XI, which might result in Head being promoted to open once again, a role he has played on the subcontinent.

What does not appear to have changed is a belief in choosing Australia’s best six batters, as opposed to locking in specialists for positions.

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Aiden Markram of South Africa is congratulated by Nathan Lyon and Marnus Labuschagne of Australia as he walks off after being dismissed during Day Four of the ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

“It’s always a combination and the connection between each series and the surfaces that you play on can be quite different,” McDonald said.

“So you don’t want to play despite conditions, but you also want to understand where you’re heading. That can be a tricky balance. We’ve seen that in Sri Lanka around opening the batting with Travis Head on slower surfaces.

“What are we going to get in the Caribbean? We haven’t been there since 2016, so there’s a little bit of the unknown, but we feel as though we have got a squad that can cover all bases.

“Will we get spinning conditions? We’ve got two spinners in the squad, so do we shift into our sort of spin line up in terms of the way that we play? And that goes for the batting order as well.

“I’d like to think that we’re being flexible around our options in the batting order. Other people are judging that and saying that’s unsettling. I think we’ve got a group that understands when we’re home, it looks a certain way. When we’re away, it can potentially shift.”

The spotlight is firmly on the struggling top three, and particularly veteran opener Usman Khawaja and makeshift partner Marnus Labuschagne after that pair and Cameron Green contributed just 49 of Australia’s 419 runs in the WTC decider.

But McDonald is adamant that both have a role to play for Australia in the future, both short-term in relation to the Caribbean, further afield with the Ashes and with Labuschagne, through at least the next WTC cycle.

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Australian skipper Pat Cummins said on Saturday he felt Khawaja looked on the cusp of getting runs and McDonald believes he is a stable presence at the top.

“He’s on contract. He’s an important player. He gives us stability at his best at the top and we like to look at our players at their best, (despite) no doubt, a couple of failures here,” he said.

“People then start to talk about, ‘Maybe it’s the end’. But I don’t see an end date with the way he’s training, the way he’s preparing, the way he’s moving.

“He went back to Shield cricket and got a hundred last year, so I think he’s got plenty of runs left in him. It’ll come down to his inner-drive and the way he prepares.

“It was a bit the same with Davey (Warner) as well with the way he moved. We saw some positives in that. We knew that the runs were around the corner (and) I think from memory, he was the leading run scorer against Pakistan in his last series for Australia. So we feel Uzzie has got a big part to play.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 14: Steve Smith of Australia speaks to team mates following his side's defeat on Day Four of the ICC World Test Championship Final between South Africa and Australia at Lord's Cricket Ground on June 14, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

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Labuschagne, too, has struggled to find his best form. He looked reasonable in patches at Lord’s when making 39 in two innings, but his consistency has deserted him.

The injury to Smith could see him receive another life, though both Josh Inglis and Sam Konstas are waiting a chance, depending on what unfolds with the injured champion and also with the pitch conditions in the West Indies.

At some stage the Australians would like to bed down an opening combination, with Konstas clearly the anointed one there.

But McDonald said Labuschagne has youth on his side and he views the Queenslander as a mainstay in the Australian team if he can regain his best.

“He’s a big part of the future of the team. Anyone that averages 45 or 46 in Test cricket at that age is important,” he said.

“We’ve got older players who are closer to the end than the start. We’ve got some younger players that are coming in, and you definitely want those guys that have, I think, 60-odd Test matches.

“If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order. But at the moment, he’d be disappointed with the returns.

“He’s missed out on big scores. He threatened at the MCG (when he) got a pair of 70s, and, you know, if they had been a pair of hundreds, the conversation shifts as well.

“But we’re confident that he could return to his best and hence (that is) why we keep picking him. It is at what point do we stop picking him?”

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 12: Usman Khawaja of Australia looks dejected after losing his wicket during day 2 of the ICC World Test Championship, final match between South Africa and Australia at Lords Cricket Ground on June 12, 2025 in London, England. (Photo by Paul Harding/Gallo Images/Getty Images) Source: Getty Images

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