Australia recently suffered a 5-wicket defeat at the hands of South Africa in the ICC World Test Championship final. The team’s batting performance in the match was quite poor. Following this loss, two major changes have been made to the squad ahead of the upcoming Test series against the West Indies.
Marnus Labuschagne Dropped; Steve Smith to Miss Out
Steve Smith, who batted well in the WTC final and scored a half-century in the first innings, injured his finger while fielding. As a result, he had to leave the field and didn’t return to field later in the match. Now, Smith is set to miss the first Test against the West Indies. On the other hand, Marnus Labuschagne has been dropped due to poor form. In the WTC final, he managed to score just 17 runs in the first innings and 22 in the second, which led to his exclusion from the squad.
Sam Konstas & Josh Inglis to Return
Australia has added Sam Konstas and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis to the squad for the Test series against the West Indies. Both players have played two Test matches each so far. Sam Konstas made his Test debut during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India and scored a half-century in his debut match. He performed particularly well against Jasprit Bumrah. Josh Inglis, on the other hand, made his Test debut against Sri Lanka and impressed everyone by scoring a brilliant century. Both players are now ready to make an impact against the West Indies.
Also Read- Aus vs WI 2nd Test Stats and Records
Usman Khawaja & Konstas to Open the Innings
Australia’s opening combination is set to change once again for the West Indies series. In the WTC final against South Africa, Marnus Labuschagne opened the innings with Usman Khawaja. However, this time, Sam Konstas will be partnering with Usman Khawaja at the top of the order.