Marnus Labuschagne facing the axe as Australia’s fragile batters leave door open for South Africa

London: If this game has been the ultimate Test, as billed by its promoters, then Australia’s increasingly fragile batting line-up has largely failed its questions.

Hoping to settle their top six ahead of the Ashes at home this summer, the national selectors – all of them in attendance at Lord’s this week – have a long list of fresh queries about how to produce the runs required to keep winning games.

Marnus Labuschagne could do no better than two starts.Credit: AP

Pat Cummins, who now has 300 wickets in Tests, will back his men to outbowl South Africa here in the final innings to seize back-to-back world Test championship titles. The game is in fast-forward, but Alex Carey (43) and Mitchell Starc (16 not out) fought through the final hour on day two to be 8-144 at stumps.

But the magnificent pace and spin ensemble led by the captain, alongside Josh Hazlewood, Starc and Nathan Lyon with Scott Boland in reserve, should not be having to go back to the well this often. CricViz has the Proteas narrow favourites: 51 per cent to 49, with the Australians leading by 218 overall.

“Ideally, we’d probably have a few more wickets in the shed,” Cummins said. “But the trend of the game is it’s still pretty difficult out there, so it’s set up pretty well for a day-three finish you’d imagine tomorrow, but we’re going to have to bowl well.”

Usman Khawaja (zero and six) and Cameron Green (four and zero) were taken apart by the formidable Kagiso Rabada in both innings, succumbing to quality seam bowling at high pace. That is no disgrace in itself, but top order players need to be able to handle those difficulties more often than not, at least for long enough to ease a path for the middle order.

South Africa players celebrate as Australia’s Alex Carey, right, walks off the field after losing his wicket.Credit: AP

At 38, Khawaja’s skills have lately been stretched by the top echelon of pace bowlers: Mark Wood in England in 2023, Jasprit Bumrah last summer, and Rabada here. A double century in Sri Lanka was made in between, but conditions at Lord’s have been far closer to those of Australia than Galle was or the West Indies will be.

Slotted back into the side before he was ready to bowl again, Green can be a somewhat iffy starter, when roles in the top three require precision against the new ball. His runs for Gloucestershire were characterised by some struggles early before he was fully dialled in at the crease, and Test class attacks won’t give him the latitude of the county second division.