Battered and bruised Australia announced their playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh, starting Saturday (August 22) in Mackay. Amid the possibility of an all-pace attack, captain Pat Cummins confirmed that Nathan Lyon had held his spot while Matthew Renshaw has replaced Jake Weatherald, who was dropped from the squad last week.
It will be Renshaw’s first Test appearance in more than three years. He last appeared in whites against India in the second Test of the 2023 Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Delhi. Captain Cummins is confident the 30-year-old is ready to make his return to the Test setup.
“We just want his best,” Cummins said. “I think some of the kind of chat about Renners in the past is he can look different from day to day. I think now, when you get to your back half of your career as a batter, you want to really know what you look like at your best and I think he does that.”
“That's the hope with Renners, is to keep bringing your best version every day. That's being nice and sharp, putting a bit of pressure back on the bowlers,” he added.
Meanwhile, Scott Boland would once again miss out alongside back-up keeper-batter Josh Inglis.
Australia playing XI for second Test:
Matthew Renshaw, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
