It is not a great time to be an Australian selector and captain - this team is a far cry from the times when there were talents teeming all over the place in Australian cricket. Such was the competition between places that it was almost impossible to rejig the playing XI of the first side.
However, it is not the case right now. After the bans imposed on Steve Smith and David Warner, the Australians have struggled this year, both at home and abroad. After the defeat in Melbourne, India retained the Border-Gavaskar trophy and this once again forced the debate as to who should be the players to carry this team forward.
Soon after the heavy defeat in Melbourne, Australia announced the inclusion of Marnus Labuschagne, a leg-spinning all-rounder, as they expect the SCG track to be dry which could assist the spinners. Former Australian captain Steve Waugh has listed out his playing XI for the fourth Test and he expects that struggling opener Aaron Finch might get the axe.
Steve Waugh playing XI for 4th Test: Marcus Harris, Shaun Marsh, Usman Khawaja, Travis Head, Tim Paine, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood
Not very convinced with the way things were panning out in Australia, former Indian captain, Sourav Ganguly, took to Twitter and regretted the condition down under. He tweeted, "Australian cricket selection at its lowest ever .. greats have to put teams in their Instagram posts to give direction ...."
Earlier, Ricky Ponting too gave his preferred combination for the fourth Test and he too wants Aaron Finch to be dropped.
"I've seen Labuschagne has come into the line-up so to me straight away that means Finch has to miss out and Usman will open the batting, I'd imagine," Ponting told cricket.com.au. "That's how it looks – Labuschagne probably bats four, (Travis) Head five and Mitch Marsh six – I think that's the way they're going to line up.
"I can't really think what else they can do. The selectors and the captain and coach have obviously had a long chat about what they want and what they expect. We'll see how they line up."
