Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden has publicly called for Matt Renshaw to be included in Australia’s team for the second Test match against Bangladesh on August 22 at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. Renshaw is not currently in Australia’s squad for the Bangladesh series.
Hayden’s comments came after Bangladesh defeated Australia by nine wickets in the first Test in Darwin, which was played from August 13 to 16. The result has raised serious questions about the composition of the top order and enhanced scrutiny of Australia’s batting selection ahead of the Mackay Test.
Hayden said he has been advocating for Renshaw’s selection for at least a year and that he wants to see the left-hander open the batting at the Test level. He also suggested moving Travis Head to number three as part of a bigger makeover at the top of the order.
What did Matthew Hayden say about Australia’s batting order problems?
Australia’s batting lineup has two major problems, according to Matthew Hayden: Marnus Labuschagne’s consistently subpar performance at number three and the challenge of forming a dependable opening combination.
Given that Labuschagne has been in terrible form for around two years, Hayden wondered what would happen if the same combination was kept for Mackay and beyond into the Australian summer. He has averaged 25.32 in his last 42 innings; he was cut from the team in 2025 to travel to the West Indies.
However, I believe that you must have a beginning point. You must ask yourself, “Okay, who are we and where are we highlighting first?” Is it the third place, or is it one of the openers? Because the main question has been the number three place. For the past two years, Marnus Labuschagne has been in that kind of shape.
What will happen overnight, not just when we travel to Mackay, but also when the first Australian Summer Test match takes place? Matthew Hayden told 7Cricket, “Or do we concentrate on the fact that you have that challenge at the top of the order for Travis Head?”
What specific changes did Matthew Hayden propose to the Mackay Test?
Moving Renshaw to the side at the front of the lineup and moving Travis Head from opener to number three is Matthew Hayden’s preferred strategy. He described Renshaw as “match fit” and said he is excited to see what the Queensland batsman can achieve at the Test level. Renshaw, a talented spin spinner, played his last Test match in India in 2023. He has also been a reliable member of the white-ball teams in recent years.
“I think what I would do is actually put Travis Head at number three and then I would start looking for a refresh and a refit actually at that top of the order.” I’d like some top-level experience. For at least a year, I have expressed my desire to visit Renshaw because I believe he is a good fit. “I want to see what he really is, but I think the selectors knew what he was,” Matthew Hayden continued.
