Australian top order set for change as axe set to fall after World Test Championship capitulation

Pat Cummins has flagged the potential for immediate changes to the Australian top order, admitting the World Test Championship Final has presented the chance to start a new era.

Pat Cummins has flagged the potential for immediate changes to the Australian top order, admitting the World Test Championship Final has presented the chance to start a new era.

The Test captain declared Steve Smith was “unlikely” to be fit for the first Test in the West Indies in Barbados starting on June 25, but there may be other unforced personnel changes in the Caribbean after the top three failed to deliver against South Africa at Lord’s.

Cummins refused to rule out the prospect of adding new players to the existing squad, admitting all options were on the table with most doubt hanging over the futures of Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja.

“We always knew this was going to be a one off. It’s pretty specific conditions over here,” Cummins said about the questions surrounding the top order.

“Losing the toss on day one and being sent into bat it’s never going to be easy for the top three, but I think there’s probably quite a few people in the line-up who wish they could have done a bit more. And the top three was an obvious one in this game.

“Yeah I think in some ways you do (look for a reset at end of WTC cycle). I don’t particularly know why. But it does feel like a little bit of a fresh start.

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Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne are under immense pressure to retain their spots in the Test team. Picture: AP Photo

“Fast forward a couple of years you start maybe thinking about who will hopefully make the final, who is going to be in that and do we want to maybe get some games into them?

“Do we feel like now is the right time to change or do you hold with the team that got us to the final?

“I think we’ve got a couple of weeks before the first Test in the Windies but we’ll sit down and have a bit of a think. A new WTC cycle in some ways does feel like a bit of a reset.”

Australia's captain Pat Cummins and Travis Head leave the field after their loss in the World Test Championship final. Picture: AP Photo

Cummins said meetings would be held over the next 48 hours to determine whether extra top order artillery is called in for the Windies.

Smith’s finger injury has certainly opened the door for extra depth to be added.

“Not sure. Again no decisions at all have been made,” Cummins said.

“Give it 48 hours (for) everyone to digest and they’ll work out if we do, or we keep it the same squad. No one has made up their mind yet.

“It’s probably more for the selectors than me to sit down and map it ahead. I think say in white ball series, a lot of the time you build on four year cycles around World Cups for ODIs and I think maybe it’s an opportunity in the Test match to do something similar.

“It’s a little bit early to tell. Coming into this match you’ve got guys like Sam Konstas, Scotty Boland, Josh Inglis who are right on the fringes. After this Test match everyone gets thrown back into the conversation and it’s a bit of a reset for that first Test.”

Steve Smith leaves the field after suffering a serious finger injury. Picture: AP Photo

Smith’s finger compound dislocated finger is not as bad as first thought but he is set to miss the first Test in the West Indies at least.

“Yeah I think it’s a little bit of a wait and see,” Cummins said.

“He’s good. He enjoyed the green whistle for an hour yesterday (as he battled excruciating pain with bone through skin).

“He’s positive. I think it’s somewhere around the 10 days to two weeks and then maybe you try and bat with the splint and see how that looks.

“It’s a bit of a wait and see. I’d say first Test maybe unlikely and then kind of go from there. A bit early to tell.”

Originally published as Australian top order set for change as axe set to fall after World Test Championship capitulation