Lyon holds spot as Australia name XI for second Test against Bangladesh
Australia confirm Matthew Renshaw as their only change for the second Test against Bangladesh, with Nathan Lyon retaining his place despite selectors weighing an all-seam attack.
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Australia have named their XI for the second Test against Bangladesh at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay, keeping Nathan Lyon in the side despite a genuine debate among selectors about fielding an all-seam attack for the venue's Test debut. Matthew Renshaw is the sole change from the team beaten by nine wickets in Darwin.
The mild winter conditions in central Queensland had prompted discussions about whether Scott Boland would come in at Lyon's expense. Pat Cummins told reporters at the ground that selectors wanted additional time before settling on their attack combination.
"Trying to give it another day to see whether it's four quicks or a spinner," Cummins was quoted as saying by Cricket.com.au
Shortly after those comments, selectors gathered at the pitch and confirmed Lyon had retained his place.
The last occasion Australia omitted a fit Lyon from a red-ball Test XI was 14 years back, at the WACA Ground. While the hosts had gone with four seamers for a pair of pink-ball Tests in 2025, they chose not to replicate that approach for this red-ball fixture in Mackay.
Why did Australia recall Renshaw to open the batting?
After the nine-wicket loss in Darwin, selectors resisted sweeping changes, sticking with Marnus Labuschagne at No. 3 despite his recent lean run. Jake Weatherald was dropped having featured in just the opening match of Australia's demanding 20-Test schedule across 12 months, and Renshaw's return to the top of the order is the one confirmed alteration for Mackay.
Renshaw's 14th and most recent Test appearance came in 2023, when he batted in the middle order during the tour of India. His recall now sees him back at the position where he made his name, having scored a century opening the batting in the 2016-17 home series against Pakistan as a 20-year-old. Cummins addressed the broader selection philosophy following the Darwin defeat.
"A lot of people jump to say that, 'You have to win everything' – and obviously we hope we do. Particularly home Test matches, we pride ourselves on winning as many as we can. We were nowhere near our best. But I think Bangladesh played really well. They're a really good cricket team," said Cummins.
What did pitch evidence at Mackay tell selectors about Lyon's inclusion?
To assess how the Mackay surface might behave, Australia studied footage from an Australia A versus India A match held at the same ground two years ago. In that game, Brendon Doggett claimed six wickets on a lively opening-day pitch, yet the home side successfully chased 225 in the fourth innings with off-spinner Manav Suthar, who has since earned a place in India's Test squad, making little impression.
Cummins acknowledged the value of that reference point while cautioning against over-reliance on it.
"Looked like it kind of got better to bat on the longer the game went on, but it's a couple of years ago. You take it as data, but it's not the (only factor affecting the selection) decision. It's largely conditions based," Cummins concluded.
Australia full XI for the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay
Matthew Renshaw, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.
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