Jake Weatherald Dropped and Matt Renshaw Returns for Second Test

Australia have dropped opener Jake Weatherald for the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay with bringing in Matt Renshaw as the only change to their 13-player squad following a heavy defeat in Darwin.

Weatherald managed just 23 and 0 in the first Test with taking his season tally to 224 runs at an average of 20.36 across six matches. Despite tweaking his technique during off-season county cricket also he struggled in both innings dismissed twice by Hasan Mahmud.

Cricket Australia confirmed the change in a brief statement. Coach Andrew McDonald had earlier noted shifts in Weatherald's stance and movement, though he cautioned it was hard to judge from such a small sample size.

Renshaw returns for his 15th Test appearance his first since 2023 after being on standby and training with the squad. He averaged 49.90 in last season's Sheffield Shield with three centuries and has also featured in Australia's white-ball setup. His Test average stands at 29.31 with a career-best 184 against Pakistan in 2017.

The switch means Australia will have used seven different openers since David Warner's retirement in 2024 excluding Usman Khawaja. Travis Head remains at the top after his Ashes success, while others like Steven Smith, Sam Konstas and Marnus Labuschagne have also rotated through.

Labuschagne, who scored 1 and 31 in Darwin is also under pressure heading into Mackay though he retains his place. Selectors chose not to promote younger batters such as Ollie Peake or Campbell Kellaway.

Josh Inglis remains a reserve batter while Scott Boland is the backup pacer. A frontline spinner is expected to be included for the Mackay Test.

Australia squad for second Test against Bangladesh

Travis Head, Matt Renshaw, Marnus Labuschagne, Steven Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey, Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Scott Boland