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Three changes Australia MUST make ahead of the second Test (and probably won’t)

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Bangladesh has humbled a poor Australian side in Darwin by nine wickets to deliver the hosts one of their heaviest home Test defeats this century.

Now trailing the two-match series 1-0, the pressure to avoid further embarrassment by squaring the series in Mackay in just over a week is real and significant.

But what will the selectors do?

After six largely underwhelming Tests, opener Jake Weatherald has surely been given more than enough opportunity to prove he belongs at the top of the Australian batting order, and provided remarkably few reasons for the national selectors to persist.

MORE: Social media loving it as Aussies on the brink against Bangladesh

Meanwhile, it seems time has simply caught up with Marnus Labuschagne with the Second Test providing the ideal chance to blood a new face at No.3 with an eye to securing the future rather than providing testimonials for deeds of the past.

Who replaces them at the top of the order is a trickier question to answer.

For us, the experienced Matt Renshaw is one and 23-year-old Campbell Kellaway should be the other.

In truth all-rounder Cameron Green would also benefit from a full summer back in Sheffield Shield to reignite his confidence with bat and ball, but admittedly it’s hard to drop someone who top-scored with 104 in his most recent Test innings.

If Green stays as seems likely, the axe could then fall on 32-year-old Beau Webster with Cooper Connolly or even young Ollie Peake waiting in the wings - another change made purely with an eye to the next decade of Australian cricket, not just the next 12 months.

Having said all this there’s every chance Australian selectors will pick an unchanged XI for Mackay and we’ll be having this exact same debate in early October when Australia is 1-0 down against South Africa after more batting woes in Durban.

But hopefully not.

The Second Test between Australia and Bangladesh takes place between 22-26 August at Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay.

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