Coach calls for calm, keeps door ajar for Labuschagne, as Healy turns torch on selectors

Johannesburg: Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald has stopped short of declaring Marnus Labuschagne will be dropped for the home Tests against New Zealand, and says he will not finalise contract discussions with Cricket Australia until at least April next year.

While McDonald is not about to make any rash decisions in response to the stinging series loss in South Africa, Test great Ian Healy said it was time for Cricket Australia to start preparing for his departure by approaching Ricky Ponting to take the coaching job, and that selection chairman George Bailey should be sacked.

McDonald hinted Nathan Lyon was likely to keep his place for the Tests against the Kiwis, and confirmed Steve Smith had put his hand up to play in the series once he has recovered from a neck injury,

The coach and fellow selectors Bailey and Tony Dodemaide will soon review the South Africa tour, which brought the Test side’s second series defeat in 16 contests since Pat Cummins became captain in 2021-22.

Just as there is no appetite for CA to move on any of the team’s leaders, early indications from Cape Town the day after the series ended were that none of McDonald, Bailey or Cummins were planning to resign. Cricket Australia chief Todd Greenberg last week indicated talks had started on extending McDonald’s contract, but the coach said he was not ready to extend his deal, which expires after next year’s ODI World Cup.

“There has been some discussion, so I won’t hide away from that,” McDonald said. “But my firm focus is we’ve got, I think, 10 Test matches in the next three months, so I’m looking at that, and we’re always continuing to discuss what everything looks like with every staff member.

“My focus is this next period of time up to the 150th [anniversary Test in Melbourne in March] and then we’ll get April, May to sit back and look at it, and then playing for an Ashes and ahead of that hopefully the World Test Championship. Albeit, we’re a little bit up against it now [to make the final].”

Healy, who kept wicket in 119 Tests for Australia, said CA should scope out whether his teammate from yesteryear, former Australian captain and long-time IPL coach Ponting, was interested in replacing McDonald.

“What I’m hearing is they are looking at extending the coach... but what I’d be doing is enquiring about the availability of several. Can we get Ricky Ponting?, Healy told SEN Queensland on Monday.

“He (McDonald) is in the gun. I don’t mind one more year, McDonald taking us through to the Ashes.

“If things don’t improve, then I would have worked on a high-profile player to carry our next generation forward as head coach.”

Healy levelled his fiercest critique at Bailey as selection chair.

“I think it’s time [for him] to move on. But he’s also got a selection panel he’s got to get these selections over with,” Healy said.

“That’s the coach and Tony Dodemaide, a second selector, they are together.

“It’s a bit mind-boggling, at times, how you can get a selection over the line with three of you agreeing to do it?”

Those “mind-boggling” selections Healy referred to included the shock decision to recall Nic Maddinson as an opening batsman in the first two Tests in South Africa, despite the left-hander having not played a red-ball game since March 2025. He was axed ahead of the series decider in Cape Town.

The series loss in South Africa Australia will need to win by a clear margin against New Zealand and win one or two Tests in India – depending on other results – to qualify for a third consecutive WTC final. It’s a tall order, particularly with a batting unit that has spluttered badly over the past 18 months.

McDonald conceded Labuschagne’s position would be a matter for heavy discussion, but left room to retain him if he again dominated in the Sheffield Shield.

“He’s had some opportunities that he’s missed on this tour in particular, so that’ll be something in the next week or so that we’ll get our heads around,” McDonald said. “We’re not in a rush to make decisions. There’s too much emotion right now, but yeah he hasn’t taken his opportunity on this tour.

“We believed in Marn for this tour. We’ll have to reassess that as we move forward ... there’s still a very good cricketer there.

“Every time he drops back to state level, he outperforms the others. But there’s some state cricket going on at the moment as well, which is going to give us a great runway for what the New Zealand selections will look like.”

One of many talking points on the final day of the series was how uncomfortable Cameron Green looked against Simon Harmer. McDonald said Green had been unable to find a rhythm, but backed the all-rounder to regain his feet against spin in time for India.

“I think if I take it back to Galle, Sri Lanka, where he got that 70 odd in extreme conditions [in 2022], you probably had a different game plan and method there to what he used [at Newlands],,” McDonald said.

“We had to plant two players down either end and try to absorb that. So I think to critique his method, he was definitely taken away from it by the situation and scenario of the game.

“I think he’s a good player of spin, he’s got good reach. He’s able to sweep. He’s able to use his feet as well in amongst all that reach. So I’m very confident that whatever challenges he comes up against in whatever conditions that he will be able to succeed.”

McDonald made the strong suggestion that Nathan Lyon would retain his spot in the Test squad for Perth, and also that Steve Smith remained eager to contribute to that series.

“We are planning for him to play against New Zealand in Perth,” McDonald said of Smith. “I think first and foremost, it’s understanding what’s going on with the neck issue, and … what do we need to do to make sure it doesn’t happen again?

“And give him the best preparation that we possibly can. So yeah, there’ll be Shield cricket. There’s opportunities for him. He’ll be well prepared for the Test matches.”

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