WTC player ratings: From the captain's heroics, to a batting failure that could re-shape the order
The Tasmanian all-rounder continues to impress in a range of scenarios with the bat, the ball and in the field. Australia's first innings would have been far worse without him, even if Webster made a scratchy start. He was less successful in the second innings, but deserves to keep his place in the West Indies.
Josh Hazlewood: 6
The ever-reliable Hazlewood bowled solidly in each innings without quite looking to be at his best. He helped Starc add priceless runs to give South Africa a trickier chase than they might otherwise have had.
Alex Carey: 6
The keeper-batsman dropped a catch he would have expected to snaffle on the first evening, though it wasn't overlay costly. But he made critical runs on the second evening to lift Australia out of the mire at 7-73 and otherwise kept tidily.
Nathan Lyon: 4
'The GOAT' bowled serviceably without results. Lyon might have had more success had he been switched around to bowl into the footmarks at the Nursery End a little earlier in South Africa's chase, but he also allowed the Proteas to play him too often off the back foot.
Marnus Labuschagne: 4
Labuschagne was drafted up to open, and hinted at promise in both innings before flirting outside off stump twice to keep his Test place very much open to question. He fielded well with plenty of energy. Should he be dropped, there is still plenty of time for the 30-year-old to return.
Travis Head: 3
The aggressive left-hander played in typical fashion without his usual effect, glancing down the leg side in the first innings and then getting bowled by a nip-backer in the second. He wasn't afforded much of a buffer from the new ball by the top order. He also pulled off a sharp run out.
Usman Khawaja: 2
The 38-year-old veteran was well beaten by Kagiso Rabada in both innings and showed a few signs of struggles, such as missing or mistiming his pet pull shot. He wants to keep playing through to the end of the Ashes, but needs a complementary opening partner.
Cameron Green: 1
Green's long stint in county cricket reaped plenty of runs but not much preparation for the class of Rabada on a seaming surface. He's a gifted batter but may not be the answer at number three, particularly once he returns to the bowling crease.
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Wearing a helmet in the slip cordon, Smith was standing far closer to the stumps than normal when he dropped Proteas captain Temba Bavuma in the second innings. Edges regularly dropped short of fielders during the Test, but this one flew towards Smith and he was unable to hang on to it. He immediately left the field in immense pain after spilling the catch that would have put Australia in the box seat to claim back-to-back WTC titles. Smith didn't field on Saturday as South Africa pulled off a landmark upset. "I was obviously standing pretty close with the helmet on there," he said. "I kind've lost sight of it with the angle Mitchell Starc was bowling, it kind've went inside Bavuma's hip so I didn't actually quite see it until really late. "It kind've dipped on me a bit late as well. "It was tricky, obviously didn't go in my hand well." During the WTC decider, Smith became the highest non-England run-scorer (604) at Lord's. He made his debut at the famous ground in 2010, and peeled off brilliant centuries in the 2015 and 2023 Ashes. But his finger injury now adds to the concussion he suffered at Lord's in 2019 when he was hit in the head by a Jofra Archer bouncer. "I have a love-hate relationship with this place now," Smith said. "Had some really good memories, not so good ones as well." Star Australia batter Steve Smith has described avoiding surgery on his dislocated finger as a "good result". The 36-year-old will almost certainly be ruled out of Australia's first Test against West Indies, starting in Barbados on June 25. But Smith could push to return for the last two matches in the three-Test series if he can manage batting with discomfort. He will be required to keep his finger in a splint for up to eight weeks after suffering a compound dislocation of his right little finger in the World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa. "Fortunately there's no break there," Smith said after Australia's shock loss on Sunday. "It just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage. "In a splint for eight weeks, and maybe able to play with it in a couple of weeks. "It was probably the best result I could've asked for." Wearing a helmet in the slip cordon, Smith was standing far closer to the stumps than normal when he dropped Proteas captain Temba Bavuma in the second innings. Edges regularly dropped short of fielders during the Test, but this one flew towards Smith and he was unable to hang on to it. He immediately left the field in immense pain after spilling the catch that would have put Australia in the box seat to claim back-to-back WTC titles. Smith didn't field on Saturday as South Africa pulled off a landmark upset. "I was obviously standing pretty close with the helmet on there," he said. "I kind've lost sight of it with the angle Mitchell Starc was bowling, it kind've went inside Bavuma's hip so I didn't actually quite see it until really late. "It kind've dipped on me a bit late as well. "It was tricky, obviously didn't go in my hand well." During the WTC decider, Smith became the highest non-England run-scorer (604) at Lord's. He made his debut at the famous ground in 2010, and peeled off brilliant centuries in the 2015 and 2023 Ashes. But his finger injury now adds to the concussion he suffered at Lord's in 2019 when he was hit in the head by a Jofra Archer bouncer. "I have a love-hate relationship with this place now," Smith said. "Had some really good memories, not so good ones as well." Star Australia batter Steve Smith has described avoiding surgery on his dislocated finger as a "good result". The 36-year-old will almost certainly be ruled out of Australia's first Test against West Indies, starting in Barbados on June 25. But Smith could push to return for the last two matches in the three-Test series if he can manage batting with discomfort. He will be required to keep his finger in a splint for up to eight weeks after suffering a compound dislocation of his right little finger in the World Test Championship final defeat to South Africa. "Fortunately there's no break there," Smith said after Australia's shock loss on Sunday. "It just split the skin and dislocated it, which made me feel pretty ill at that stage. "In a splint for eight weeks, and maybe able to play with it in a couple of weeks. "It was probably the best result I could've asked for." Wearing a helmet in the slip cordon, Smith was standing far closer to the stumps than normal when he dropped Proteas captain Temba Bavuma in the second innings. Edges regularly dropped short of fielders during the Test, but this one flew towards Smith and he was unable to hang on to it. 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"Had some really good memories, not so good ones as well."
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Teenage tyro Sam Konstas, who announced himself last Boxing Day, is set to be given an opportunity as opener for Australia's first tour of the Caribbean in 10 years. If Smith can't play, Konstas could slot back in to open with Usman Khawaja. "He'll be right in the window," McDonald said of Konstas. "He was a big discussion leading into this Test match. "We need to bed down that opening combination. We've had a bit of musical chairs there, so now might be the time." Josh Inglis, who scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, is also in the squad and could be given a chance to add to his two Tests. This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which broadcast the World Test Championship final. Humbled Australia believe Marnus Labuschagne still has a "big future" but have failed to guarantee his spot following two years of underwhelming performances. A day after captain Pat Cummins acknowledged Australia will undergo a "reset" following another top-order capitulation, coach Andrew McDonald addressed the team's batting woes. Having not lost an ICC final since 2010, Australia were upstaged by Temba Bavuma's fighting South Africans at Lord's, with a five-wicket defeat crushing their hopes of defending the World Test Championship title they won in 2023. In the second innings, only plucky knocks from star quick Mitchell Starc and wicketkeeper Alex Carey saved the No.1-ranked team from utter embarrassment. Promoted from No.3 to open in a Test for the first time, struggling Labuschagne got starts, but ultimately only made 17 and 22 to extend his century drought to almost 24 months. In the recently completed two-year WTC window, Labuschagne averaged just 27.82. "He's a big part of the future of the team," McDonald said. "Anyone that averages (46.19) in Test cricket at that age (30) is important. "We've got older players there that are closer to the end than the start. "If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order, but at the moment, he'd be disappointed with the returns. "We're confident that he could return to his best, hence why we keep picking him, and it's at what point do we stop picking him? "There's no harder worker than Marnus, and now it's really just about the returns." Labuschagne's opening partner, 38-year-old Usman Khawaja, was again exposed against express pace after falling to Proteas spearhead Kagiso Rabada for 0 and 7. Khawaja made a career-best 232 on slow pitches in Sri Lanka earlier this year, but his recent history against quality fast bowlers is a concern. "He gives us stability at his best at the top and, and we like to look at our players at their best," McDonald said of Khawaja. "A couple of failures here, and people then start to talk about, 'Maybe it's the end, maybe it's the end'. "I don't see an end date with the way he's training." Cameron Green, who batted at No.3 in his first Test since March 2024 after recovering from back surgery, was also troubled by Rabada and was out for 4 and 0. Green, 26, was the only member of the Australian XI in his 20s in this Test. But after suffering a compound dislocation of his right little finger at Lord's, star No.4 Steve Smith is almost no chance to play in at least the first Test against the West Indies. Smith will travel to Caribbean, but will be required to keep his finger in a splint for up to eight weeks. The wound should heal in two weeks, and he could play sooner than initially thought if he can tolerate wearing a splint while batting. Teenage tyro Sam Konstas, who announced himself last Boxing Day, is set to be given an opportunity as opener for Australia's first tour of the Caribbean in 10 years. If Smith can't play, Konstas could slot back in to open with Usman Khawaja. "He'll be right in the window," McDonald said of Konstas. "He was a big discussion leading into this Test match. "We need to bed down that opening combination. We've had a bit of musical chairs there, so now might be the time." Josh Inglis, who scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, is also in the squad and could be given a chance to add to his two Tests. This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which broadcast the World Test Championship final. Humbled Australia believe Marnus Labuschagne still has a "big future" but have failed to guarantee his spot following two years of underwhelming performances. A day after captain Pat Cummins acknowledged Australia will undergo a "reset" following another top-order capitulation, coach Andrew McDonald addressed the team's batting woes. Having not lost an ICC final since 2010, Australia were upstaged by Temba Bavuma's fighting South Africans at Lord's, with a five-wicket defeat crushing their hopes of defending the World Test Championship title they won in 2023. In the second innings, only plucky knocks from star quick Mitchell Starc and wicketkeeper Alex Carey saved the No.1-ranked team from utter embarrassment. Promoted from No.3 to open in a Test for the first time, struggling Labuschagne got starts, but ultimately only made 17 and 22 to extend his century drought to almost 24 months. In the recently completed two-year WTC window, Labuschagne averaged just 27.82. "He's a big part of the future of the team," McDonald said. "Anyone that averages (46.19) in Test cricket at that age (30) is important. "We've got older players there that are closer to the end than the start. "If he can get his game in good order for the next four or five years, he can underpin that batting order, but at the moment, he'd be disappointed with the returns. "We're confident that he could return to his best, hence why we keep picking him, and it's at what point do we stop picking him? "There's no harder worker than Marnus, and now it's really just about the returns." Labuschagne's opening partner, 38-year-old Usman Khawaja, was again exposed against express pace after falling to Proteas spearhead Kagiso Rabada for 0 and 7. Khawaja made a career-best 232 on slow pitches in Sri Lanka earlier this year, but his recent history against quality fast bowlers is a concern. "He gives us stability at his best at the top and, and we like to look at our players at their best," McDonald said of Khawaja. "A couple of failures here, and people then start to talk about, 'Maybe it's the end, maybe it's the end'. "I don't see an end date with the way he's training." Cameron Green, who batted at No.3 in his first Test since March 2024 after recovering from back surgery, was also troubled by Rabada and was out for 4 and 0. Green, 26, was the only member of the Australian XI in his 20s in this Test. But after suffering a compound dislocation of his right little finger at Lord's, star No.4 Steve Smith is almost no chance to play in at least the first Test against the West Indies. Smith will travel to Caribbean, but will be required to keep his finger in a splint for up to eight weeks. The wound should heal in two weeks, and he could play sooner than initially thought if he can tolerate wearing a splint while batting. Teenage tyro Sam Konstas, who announced himself last Boxing Day, is set to be given an opportunity as opener for Australia's first tour of the Caribbean in 10 years. If Smith can't play, Konstas could slot back in to open with Usman Khawaja. "He'll be right in the window," McDonald said of Konstas. "He was a big discussion leading into this Test match. "We need to bed down that opening combination. We've had a bit of musical chairs there, so now might be the time." Josh Inglis, who scored a century on debut against Sri Lanka earlier this year, is also in the squad and could be given a chance to add to his two Tests. This AAP article was made possible by support from Amazon Prime Video, which broadcast the World Test Championship final.
