The head coach, however, has not done the same thing with the former World No.1 batsman Marnus Labuschagne, and the batter is nearing the axing after his below-par returns with the bat for an extended period.
Australia fielded a new opening pair in the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 Final against South Africa at the Lord's with Usman Khawaja opening the innings with Marnus Labuschagne.
In the first innings of the WTC Final, Usman Khawaja bagged a 20-ball duck and Marnus Labuschagne fell for 56-ball 17. In the second innings, Usman Khawaja got out after scoring 6 runs off 23 balls, and Marnus Labuschagne registered 22 runs off 64 balls. Kagiso Rabada dismissed Usman Khawaja in both innings, while Marco Jansen cleaned up Marnus Labuschagne in the match.
Most players across their journey get dropped at some point in time - Andrew McDonald
Speaking after the WTC Final loss, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald said that Marnus Labuschagne works pretty hard on his game, but his recent performances with the bat have left him and the team management disappointed.
"He's a big part of the future of the team. Anyone that averages 45, 46 in Test cricket at that age is important. We've got older players there that are closer to the end than the start. We've got some younger players that are coming in," Andrew McDonald said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
"I think most players across their journey get dropped at some point in time. I think he had a positive week here where he worked on the right things and had a great prep. There's no harder worker than Marnus. Now it's really just about the returns. And at the moment, as I said, he'd be disappointed."
Andrew McDonald confirms 'David Warner treatment' for Usman Khawaja
But Usman Khawaja has escaped axing as he has received support from the head coach. Andrew McDonald said that Usman Khawaja remains a crucial part of the Test XI and he will not be judged a lot based on a couple of failures in the WTC Final.
"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," he said.
"It was a bit the same with Davey as well. The way he moved, we saw some positives in that. We knew that the runs were around the corner. We feel as though Usman's got a big part to play."
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