Matt Renshaw’s 190 at Durban: What happens to Australia’s Test XI when Cameron Green returns from injury? originally appeared on Cricket News.
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KEY TAKEAWAYS:
- Australia batter Matthew Renshaw made 190 off 397 balls at No. 5 against South Africa in the first Test in Durban.
- It is Renshaw’s highest Test score and the highest by a No. 5 batter in Tests at Kingsmead.
- Cameron Green missed the first Test with an abdominal strain and could return as a pure batter for the second Test.
Australia face a batting-order decision after Matt Renshaw’s career-best at Kingsmead
Every batting order needs a fixed point, and Australia has not had one at the top since David Warner’s retirement. The opening slot has passed from one name to the next.
After Jake Weatherald became the latest name to lose the opening slot after six Tests, Matthew Renshaw was recalled to take it in August. But a surprise inclusion of Nic Maddinson meant that he opened the batting instead.
That experiment ended almost as soon as it began. Maddinson, back after almost ten years away, was bowled for a duck off 33 balls, and Australia were 84 for 4 when Renshaw walked in at No. 5. He ended up scoring a match-saving 190 to help Australia reach 390 before they were bowled out in the first innings.
A score like that usually settles a selection debate. This one has started another. Cameron Green is closing in on a return as a pure batter, and Josh Inglis is due back from a fractured finger. If Renshaw is the answer at No. 5, who opens? And if he is better suited to opening, where does Green go?
What happens to Australia’s batting order when Cameron Green returns?
Green’s return is not certain for the second Test, which starts at St George’s Park in Gqeberha on October 18. He hurt his abdomen while batting in the third ODI in Potchefstroom and missed the first Test.
Coach Andrew McDonald is optimistic and has said Green could come back as a pure batter. However, he is unlikely to bowl because of his shoulder problems.
That detail shapes everything else. Green cannot cover Beau Webster’s overs, so he has to come in for a batter. The obvious name to make way for is Maddinson. The first route keeps the middle order as it is. Renshaw stays at No. 5 after the best innings of his Test career, and Green slots in at No. 6.
It is the safe call, and few would blame the selectors for leaving a batter alone after a 190. The catch is the top of the order. Maddinson’s duck came less than two months after Weatherald’s scores of 23 and 0 in Darwin, so Australia would need yet another opener. Renshaw seems the name for that.
He opened when he first came into the Test side in 2016, and he made his 184 at the SCG in that role. He opened with Travis Head at Mackay in August. His Sheffield Shield numbers back him up, with 499 runs in 10 innings in 2025-26 at an average of almost 50.
Moving him up also settles the Green question quickly. Green would take Maddinson’s place at No. 5, and Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith and Alex Carey would stay where they are. Head already opens after being promoted from No. 5 during the Ashes, so the pairing needs no experiment.
Australia’s Playing XI if Australia plays both Green and Renshaw
- Travis Head
- Matt Renshaw
- Marnus Labuschagne
- Steven Smith
- Cameron Green
- Alex Carey (wk)
- Beau Webster
- Pat Cummins (c)
- Mitchell Starc
- Nathan Lyon
- Josh Hazlewood
Renshaw at the top is the simpler fix once Green is fit
On balance, Renshaw opening with Head looks like the cleaner answer. It needs one change instead of two, and it puts Renshaw in a role he has filled since his debut. It also ends the search for an opener, at least for now.
There is a risk. The 190 came at No. 5, and selectors are often wary of touching something that has just worked. But the innings was built on patience, and 395 balls is the kind of resistance an opener needs against a new ball. That skill travels.
Nothing has to be decided yet. South Africa has not batted, and Maddinson still has a second innings in this match. If Marco Jansen, Wiaan Mulder and Anrich Nortje hurt the top order again, the selectors will find it hard to leave the opening spot as it is.
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