After the defeat in the first Test match against Bangladesh, Australia has made changes in its team for the second Test. After this unexpected defeat at home, the selectors, while deciding on the team combination, have given a second chance to a player who was out of the Test team for three years.
Sports News: After the defeat in the first Test against Bangladesh, Australia has made changes in its team for the second match. Opener Jack Weatherald has been dropped from the team, while Matt Renshaw has got a chance to return to the Test team after almost three years. The Australian cricket team had to face an unexpected defeat at home in the first test match against Bangladesh.
After this result, the selectors have tried to strengthen the batting order by making changes in the team for the second test. Jack Weatherald, who opened the innings with Travis Head in the first Test, has been dropped from the 13-man squad. Weatherald's performance in the first test was not as expected. He scored 23 runs in the first innings, while he could not even open the account in the second innings.
In such a situation, the selectors have included experienced batsman Matt Renshaw in the team in his place. Renshaw's return is also special because he has not played Test cricket for Australia for almost three years.
Renshaw's performance in domestic cricket was excellent
Matt Renshaw's recent domestic performance is being considered a major reason behind his inclusion in the team. He had an impressive performance as an opening batsman in the last Sheffield Shield season. Renshaw scored three centuries in 10 innings and scored at an average of around 50. After scoring consecutive runs in domestic cricket, he has once again got a place in the national team. Renshaw also has ample experience in international cricket. He has played 14 test matches for Australia so far. In these matches, he has batted in the top order as well as the middle order.
Renshaw played his last Test match against India in New Delhi. This match took place about three years ago. At that time he got a chance to bat in the middle order. Since then he was out of the national team.
Will Renshaw open in the second test?
The biggest question after Renshaw's inclusion in the team is whether he will get a place in the playing eleven directly and if so, in which order he will bat. Considering the current circumstances, the chances of Renshaw opening the innings with Travis Head are considered strong. The team management will be challenged to stabilize the opening pair, especially after Wetherald's poor performance in the first Test.
However, apart from Renshaw, Josh Inglis is also present in the team and he can be a contender for this place. English usually bats in the middle order in domestic cricket, but he has also opened the innings in limited overs cricket. The selectors have included him in the team as a top three batting option. In such a situation, Australia has the option to take an important decision regarding the batting combination before the second Test.