Darren Lehmann, the Australia coach, has hinted that changes will be made for the second Ashes Test, with Shane Watson seemingly first in the firing line.
After suffering a 169-run defeat to England in Cardiff with an entire day to spare, question marks already linger over a couple of the Australian starting XI.
Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin had a poor game behind the stumps, while Mitchell Starc picked up an ankle injury, but it is Watson whose place appears most precarious.
He narrowly pipped fellow all-rounder Mitchell Marsh to a place in the side but scores of 30 and 19, coupled with some innocuous medium pace, leave him vulnerable for Thursday’s game at Lord’s.
That he was dismissed leg before wicket twice – taking his career tally to 29 – only weakens his case.
And Lehmann hardly gave him cause for optimism.
“At the end of day you don’t want to be getting out lbw all the time and you want to make more runs. Shane would be disappointed, so are we,” he said.
“It’s one of those things where you have to find a way and that’s something we probably didn’t do as a batting group, not just Shane.
“We’ll certainly look at the wicket and work out the best XI to win in those conditions and if it means making changes, we’ll make changes.
“We can’t control what just happened. What we can do is learn from it and make the right decisions going forward – that is selection and also the way we play.”
While Watson looked well short of his best, Starc bowled impressively throughout despite his clear discomfort in the second innings.
Australia would be loath to leave the left-armer out after he claimed seven wickets on a tough pitch, but Lehmann will not gamble on Starc’s fitness.
“We’ll see how he pulls up, but he’s going to have to be 100 per cent,” he said. “We need to make sure he’s ready to go and we’ll make that decision after speaking to the medics over the next couple of days.”
Australia were clearly less than enamoured by the pace of the pitch in Cardiff, though with 40 wickets falling in four days and runs rates consistently up around four per over the entertainment value was hardly compromised.
Lehmann is hoping for a little more carry at Lord’s but accepts the tourists will not be treated to green seamers this summer.
“We know what we’re going to get in terms of wickets,” he said.
“Everyone says we’d love a little more pace and yes, that would be true, but we’re not going to get it and there’s no point asking.”
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