By Malcolm Conn
Australia believe that the first-Test failures of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne have put the team in bonus territory while Scott Boland is under pressure to hold his place heading into the second Test at Lord’s, beginning on Wednesday.
That Australia can win without their two best batsmen making a contribution suggests England missed a chance to cash in, after captain Pat Cummins led Australia to a dramatic first Test victory at Edgbaston on Tuesday.
“It’s very rare that ‘Marn’ and ‘Smudge’ miss out in the same Test match,” coach Andrew McDonald said. “It’s an appetising thought.”
While Australia’s batting won’t change, the bowling may, particularly after England unexpectedly took to Boland by moving down the pitch to disrupt his length. Boland conceded more than six runs an over in the first innings and five runs an over in the second.
“That probably surprised us how aggressive they were against Scott,” McDonald said. “So that’s something we can look at and find better ways through.”
Boland was always going to play the first Ashes Test after a strong performance in the World Test Championship final, with Josh Hazlewood replacing Mitchell Starc in a tight call.
Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.Credit: Getty
“It’s conditions-based, and I’ve said that from the get-go,” McDonald said of the reason behind dropping Starc.
“We understand there’s going to be huge demand on all our fast bowlers to get through the five Test matches, plus the World Test Championship.
“Josh was fit and available, we felt like he was the best on this surface and that might be Mitch next game, who knows?”
As for the batting, in the 21 Tests Australia have played since Cummins became captain, Smith and Labuschagne have only performed more poorly collectively in a Test on one occasion. That was in Sri Lanka a year ago when the best score between them was 13 by Labuschagne, yet Australia won by 10 wickets.
At Edgbaston over the past week Labuschagne scored a first-ball duck and 13 while Smith made a 59-ball 16 in the first innings and six in the second.
The only other time they had a collective failure of that magnitude was during the Boxing Day Test of 2021 against England in the previous Ashes series, when the top score between them was 16 by Smith. Australia won by an innings and 14 runs.
While Smith scored a century in Australia’s previous match, the World Test Championship final against India at the Oval, Labuschagne’s performances have fallen from stratospheric levels. After his 163 against the West Indies in Adelaide before Christmas he averaged 61 but has yet to make a century since, and his average has fallen to 55. Smith still hovers around 60.
Significantly, their rankings have dropped. Australia went into this Ashes tour with the top three-ranked batsmen in the world, Labuschagne, Smith and Travis Head after Head blazed 163 in the WTC final against India.
In the latest rankings, Labuschagne has fallen to three, Head four, and Smith six, with Joe Root the new number one ranked player after his unbeaten century and 46 at Edgbaston.
While players from both teams have been given a few days off before assembling at Lord’s over the weekend ahead of the second Test, beginning on Wednesday, McDonald claimed Smith and Labuschagne will be hard at work on their games.
“There will be no doubt a craving for more net sessions from Marn and Smudge,” McDonald said.
“They’re disappointed they missed out in this game, but I think any time the Australian cricket team can win without those two performing at high level is always a positive.
“They’ve seen what England are going to do and how they’re going to attack them, and they’re probably two of the greatest problem-solvers we’ve had over a period of time, so you would expect them to go back to the drawing board.”
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