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Matt Renshaw and Joe Burns should be on the first plane to South Africa because Australia’s five-man leadership group must be suspended by Cricket Australia for next week’s fourth Test after conspiring to ball tamper.
Coach Darren Lehmann should be sacked if it is found that he was involved in the conspiracy to cheat, and there is strong reason to believe he was.
After the Bancroft tampering footage was first aired live on television there was highly suspicious vision of Lehmann communicating on a walkie talkie, seemingly with reserve player Peter Handscomb who was on the sidelines.
Soon after Handscomb was sent on to the field and had a conversation with Bancroft who, moments later, tried to hide down the front of his pants the yellow tape he admits he used to ball tamper.
While Smith denies Lehmann was aware of the cheating plan hatched by Australia’s leadership group, this aforementioned chain of events casts doubt over the veracity of his claim.
(Photo by Michael Dodge/Getty Images)
Australia should make six changes to their XI for the fourth Test, suspending Bancroft and the five players believed to make up the leadership group – Smith, David Warner, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood.
Queensland openers Renshaw and Burns should replace Bancroft and Warner at the top of the order, with Handscomb slotting into Smith’s position at number four.
Reserve quicks Chadd Sayers and Jhye Richardson should take the places of Hazlewood and Starc, with back-up spinner Jon Holland coming in for Lyon.
Incredibly, that would be the single most changes Australia have made to their Test XI, from one match to the next, since 1884.
The last time Australia made anything like that many changes was 16 months ago when they brought in five new players for the third Test against South Africa in Adelaide.
The difference is that overhaul was prompted by poor performance, with Australia having lost five matches on the trot – the first two Tests against South Africa, preceded by three losses in Sri Lanka.
This time it must be a response to the weak, reprehensible actions admitted by Smith. While such an overhaul of personnel would greatly reduce Australia’s chances of winning the fourth Test, the outcome of this series has ceased to be important in light of the tourists’ cheating.
As the two best opening batsmen outside of the current Test XI, Renshaw and Burns are the obvious options to play at Johannesburg.
The problem with that is it would require them to leave the Queensland team mid-way through the Sheffield Shield final against Tasmania.
That would not be in the best interests of the Bulls but would absolutely be to the benefit of Burns and Renshaw, who would both have an opportunity to seal Test positions beyond this series in South Africa.
An impressive performance from Renshaw in the fourth Test could then see him retain his spot for Australia’s next series ahead of Bancroft.
The young West Australia looked to have firmed up his Test position with a solid showing in South Africa, being Australia’s leading runscorer with 197 at 39 up until yesterday. But the reality is that his Test future is now riddled with uncertainty.
Even if Bancroft is immediately recalled to the Test team after his expected one-match ICC suspension the pressure and scrutiny on the 25-year-old will be crushing.
It’s hard enough in the best of circumstances for any young opening batsman to flourish in Test cricket. The controversy and shame which will forever follow Bancroft presents a massive mental hurdle if and when he returns to international cricket.
For now Australia need to pick a largely fresh set of cricketers to try to defeat South Africa in the fourth Test. Smith, Bancroft, Warner, Starc, Hazlewood and Lyon simply cannot be allowed to play in that match.
Australia’s appropriate team for 4th Test:
1. Matt Renshaw
2. Joe Burns
3. Usman Khawaja
4. Peter Handscomb
5. Shaun Marsh
6. Mitch Marsh
7. Tim Paine (C)
8. Pat Cummins (VC)
9. Jhye Richardson
10. Jon Holland
11. Chadd Sayers