Ricky Ponting says a number of Australia’s under-fire batters could be playing for their futures in the first cricket Test against Bangladesh. A maiden Test century from Tanzid Hasan on day two gave the minnows a 153-run lead going into day three in Darwin, leaving Australia facing a mountain to climb to salvage a result.
Bangladesh resumed at 6-351 on Saturday, looking to ram home their advantage. The Aussies desperately need quick wickets before going about the monumental task of setting a big enough second innings total to give them a shot at an unlikely victory.
Ricky Ponting (L) thinks a number of Aussie batters could be playing for their Test futures against Bangladesh after previously criticising opener Jake Weatherald (R). Pic: Getty
Jake Weatherald, Marnus Labuschagne and Cameron Green are all under enormous pressure to perform with the bat in their second dig, having fallen cheaply in Australia’s underwhelming first innings. It continued a lean run of form for the trio, whose spots in the Test team have come under renewed scrutiny.
Former Aussie spinner Kerry O’Keeffe suggested Weatherald was the man most in danger of being dropped as his batting technique was again exposed against Bangladesh. “Jake Weatherald is perhaps under more pressure this innings than Marnus Labuschagne,” O’Keeffe said before day three got underway.
Labuschagne was dismissed for just one on the opening day. And the last time he notched a Test ton was in January 2023, with the 32-year-old’s average dropping to an alarming 30.1 over that three-year period.
All-rounder Green has also failed to deliver consistently with the bat after years of promise. And Ponting agreed that some of Australia’s batters could be playing for their Test futures against Bangladesh. “There is no bigger moment in some of their careers than what’s coming up in the next few days,” the former Australia captain said.
Jake Weatherald under fire after Ricky Ponting criticism
Weatherald will no doubt be feeling the heat after having his batting technique criticised by Ponting during the recent Ashes series over the Aussie summer. The opener was consistently undone by England quick Jofra Archer, prompting Ponting to question whether he was up to Test standard.
“For mine his stance and technical issues, he is not going to survive doing what he’s doing now at the highest level,” Ponting told SEN radio at the time. “In that series he struggled with full straight ball and with the more direct short ball. You don’t survive at Test level with this.
“If I was a selector, I would say to him: ‘we love what you bring but you have four Shield games to prove you can change stance and technique. If you can do that we will give you another go. If you can’t… then it might be time to move on’.”
Jake Weatherald’s batting technique came under fire from Aussie legend Ricky Ponting during the 2025/26 Ashes series. Pic: Getty
As it stands, Australia will have to overcome one of the biggest first innings deficits in their Test history to beat Bangladesh. They’ll have to channel the heroics of Aussie legends Mike Hussey and the late, great Shane Warne if they’re to win in Darwin.
Hussey’s unbeaten 134 in the second innings against Pakistan in 2010 masterminded a stunning victory after trailing by 206 in the first innings. While Warne took 3-11 in 5.1 overs against Sri Lanka in Colombo in 1992 to help overturn a 291-run first innings deficit and stop the home side reaching the 181 runs required for victory.
