Australia’s embarrassing nine-wicket defeat to Bangladesh has raised serious questions about the stability of the team’s batting order, with former Australian Test great Mark Waugh urging the side’s senior batters to take responsibility ahead of the second match of the series.
Australia, who have been accustomed to controlling Test matches through their strong batting lineup, were really under great pressure against Bangladesh, failing miserably to build momentum. Marnus Labuschagne and Jake Weatherald have been at the receiving end following their horror batting performances in the first Test. Labuschagne managed 1 and 31 runs in the first Test while Jake Weatherald made 23 runs in the first innings before being dismissed for a duck in the second innings.
"This could possibly be the biggest upset I can remember in Australia," Mark Waugh said on Fox Sports.
"The West Indies beat Australia at the Gabba three or four years ago - that was an upset. But this one, given their best two bowlers, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam, are not playing, the rankings, and the Australian team being back at full strength, it's a big one."
Even Ricky Ponting termed the loss "a very embarrassing defeat."
"Look, I'm the last one who wants to make changes. As a captain or as a player, I wanted to keep the group together," Ponting said on Channel 7.
"It has to get to a bad point before I start saying you ought to leave somebody out. But there has been enough evidence for me coming here to suggest that they weren't going to lose anything, or much at all, by starting that regeneration - by maybe bringing in another opener, by maybe bringing in someone at No. 3. And I think if they lose here, then that has to happen," he said.