Darwin's Natural Selection Crisis: McDonald says Marnus Needs Big Runs and Selectors Need a Cool Head

PL reports on the mourning after the night before

The former players, many of whom drank in the front bar of Hotel Darwin last night while the team sat out the back, have scattered in all directions.

David Warner and Simon Katich caught the red-eye back to Sydney. Ricky Ponting caught the overnight plane to Melbourne at an ugly hour. Matthew Hayden is on an international flight to Amsterdam where he’ll be coaching the Glasgow in the European T20 Premier League. As you do.

Justin Langer, swimming against the current, is on his way home after guiding the Manchester Super Giants to a win in Sunday’s final of The Hundred.

The former greats, and every other stunned Australian cricket fan wandering the streets of Darwin on Sunday night, had been debating solutions and wondering who would be on the plane to South Africa for the next Test series. Suggestins flew thick and fast, but few could agree on the way ahead.

There’d be a few among the current playing group wondering the same thing, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves here as there’s a very real prospect that some may not be in the side that takes the field in Mackay later this week.

Coach Andrew McDonald said “they were feeling it” in the sheds after play.