Australia face some huge selection calls heading into the deciding Test at Newlands. There are various moving parts and it was difficult to say whether their training session on Sunday provided many clues, although Cameron Green is set to return. With the series on the line in South Africa, captain Pat Cummins and the selection panel are weighing a series of complex decisions that could reshape the team’s balance, batting lineup, and bowling attack. Here are the names at the centre of one of the most intriguing selection debates of recent times.
Nic Maddinson
Four innings is very little to judge a player on, but in three of them in this series Nic Maddinson has looked out of his depth. His second-innings 48 off 38 balls in Durban was an encouraging response to the 33-ball duck on the opening day of the series, but the twin dismissals against Kagiso Rabada were loose strokes. At the very least, he has looked like what he is: a batter who hadn’t played a first-class match in 19 months when called up. He did not bat on the centre wicket on Sunday, leaving a question mark over his immediate future in the playing eleven. There may well be a professional Test player in there if he goes back and dominates the Sheffield Shield as New South Wales captain, but the decision to call him into the squad looks no less surprising now than it did at the start of the month.
Marnus Labuschagne
It seems futile to hark back to the time when Marnus Labuschagne was a 60-average Test batter, because it’s so long ago. It was a heady height to maintain, but it’s nearly four years since that mark was hit and two-and-a-half years since it dipped below 50. The manner of his second-innings dismissal in Gqeberha, trying to loft into a gale-force wind, was the shot of a batter not thinking clearly, or at the very least desperate to escape the 30s. It is tough to make a case that he should still be in the Test side although he has soaked up the third-most deliveries for Australia this series and that brings some value in wearing down opposition attacks. There may have been a hint of a final chance from Pat Cummins when he spoke about the must-win nature of this week then having a bit of a break before facing New Zealand. Australia may view it as similar to when he was asked to open in last year’s World Test Championship final, which served as a last chance before being dropped. He was not among the first group to bat at Sunday’s training and did not appear to have his usual boundless energy. If he’s left out again, the road back to international cricket is very tough.
Cameron Green
Despite Matt Renshaw’s brilliant Test at No. 5 in Durban, Cameron Green has been a big loss for Australia over the first two Tests. He is a massive part of the future and had impressed in the two matches against Bangladesh in August, suggesting that No. 5 was his long-term home in the batting order. Having confirmed he’s fit for the decider, he will slot back in and could reclaim the No. 5 position. However, there’s still the issue that he hasn’t had an innings in nearly a month and is widely known as a rhythm batter who relies on consistent crease time. Coming in relatively cold against a hostile pace attack featuring Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen is a tough ask for any player. The other significant factor is that he won’t be able to bowl due to his recovery, which may ultimately affect the structural balance of the side and force the team to reconsider their bowling workloads.
Josh Inglis
Josh Inglis’ tour was interrupted by a fractured finger during the ODI series which saw him return to Perth for a short period before rejoining the squad in Gqeberha. He was in the mix for that Test and will certainly come into discussions again this time should the selectors opt for multiple changes to the batting order in a bid to spark a turnaround. However, after making a memorable century on Test debut against Sri Lanka in early 2025, he has not passed 32 in his next six Test innings, leaving selectors to weigh his undoubted potential against his recent lack of red-ball scores.
Beau Webster
In Beau Webster’s first eight Tests he made five half-centuries and pulled Australia out of some tricky situations with gritty lower-middle-order knocks. His next four matches have brought a top score of just 39 not out in seven innings, sparking debate over his form. The question for the selectors is whether he’s being found out at Test level by quality bowling attacks. But he remains a multi-dimensional cricketer whose versatility is hard to ignore. When Josh Hazlewood was ill during the second Test, Webster bowled 19 overs which were notably economical, and his ability to allow the frontline quicks to rest will be critically important if Australia decide to play only three fast bowlers at Newlands. However, he has only taken one wicket in his last six bowling innings, raising questions about his primary impact with the ball.
Cooper Connolly
It’s perhaps easy to forget Cooper Connolly is on this tour given the heavy reliance on established names. When Australia needed a batting replacement for Durban, he was overlooked in favour of an order reshuffle that moved Renshaw to No. 5 and brought Maddinson in at the top of the order. But he remains a highly regarded young player and his selection would appease those fans and pundits who are desperate for an injection of fresh youth into the Test side. In his favour is that he’s an excellent player of pace and in a short professional career has already shown his ability to rise to some big occasions. South Africa would surely test him early with spin, though. Furthermore, his own left-arm spin may help his case if Australia look to rebalance their set of allrounders, or again leave out Nathan Lyon.
Scott Boland
"At what point does he become undroppable, or is he there already," a reporter asked Pat Cummins after the second Test following another stellar performance from the veteran fast bowler. "It’s a good question," was the reply, before Cummins expressed his immense admiration for Scott Boland and his unrelenting consistency. It would be remarkable, but entirely possible given tactical considerations, for Boland to be left out despite taking 5 for 81 and finishing as Australia’s second top-scorer of the match in Gqeberha. He was once again impressive during a centre-wicket net session on Sunday, showing no signs of slowing down and maintaining immense pressure on the team management ahead of the final team submission.
Nathan Lyon
Nathan Lyon has not been left out of consecutive Tests when available for selection since 2013, making his omission in the previous match a major talking point. When South Africa were reduced to 110 for 6 in Gqeberha, the decision to omit the veteran spinner looked spot on, though it’s impossible to know whether Lyon’s presence would have stopped their lower-order charge to a total of over 400. Historical spin numbers do not heavily favour him at Newlands, but even if there isn’t significant pitch assistance, he would still be able to play a vital holding role to allow the fast-bowling unit to rotate effectively across what promises to be a grueling final Test match.
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