Michael Di Venuto knows the Test batting line-up hasn’t functioned as a unit in recent times, but Australia’s assistant coach has urged for patience as the side’s reshaped top-order adjusts to the challenges of Test cricket in increasingly difficult conditions for batters.
Batting coach Di Venuto believes there were “encouraging signs” in the second Test in Grenada as Australia clinched another series win, with Cameron Green registering his first half-century in his new No.3 role while teenage opener Sam Konstas hit 25 off 37 balls on day one to set somewhat of a platform for the middle-order to build on.
Konstas has looked increasingly assured of his approach with each innings since his return as he readjusts to Test cricket after being left out of the Sri Lanka series and the World Test Championship final.
The fact no opener has scored a fifty so far this series proves how difficult it has been facing the new ball against two quality pace attacks, with Green’s 52 in the second innings in Grenada the highest score from any batter in the top three positions.
“Conditions have been very challenging for both teams,” Di Venuto said in Jamaica on Wednesday ahead of Saturday’s third Test (4.30am Sunday AEST).
“We know what the Dukes ball does sideways, you can play that, but bring in the variable bounce to sideways (movement) and especially when the ball is hard and brand new, makes it tough.
“The bounce can be sharp, it can be extreme and for both top orders, it’s been really hard work.
“In saying that, it’s been hard for both batting orders all the way through; we’ve got some blokes through the middle who are in good form and have got good methods and as the ball softens a little bit, it gets a little bit easier.
“But as we’ve seen, the ball does get changed as well so another hard ball will come out, so (the middle order) also face tough conditions with a hard ball.
“It’s been really difficult for batting and the class batters have stood up.”
Such conditions have been reflected in Australia in recent times where the average runs per wicket in men’s Tests has dropped from 45.09 in 2015 to 26.60 in 2024, while bowling strike rates have also fallen from 71.7 balls per wicket to 47.4 in the same decade.
“Test cricket is hard and when you get conditions that we’ve had probably in the last couple of years in Australia, it’s really hard,” Di Venuto said.
“It’s around the world as well, batting has been difficult in the last couple of years, give or take a few series here and there.
“We don’t hide behind the fact that we haven’t functioned as a unit for the last couple of years – take out the Sri Lanka series where we were outstanding in spinning conditions.
“Apart from that, it’s been really hard work, and we’ve relied on individual brilliance to get us totals – as you’ll see, batting averages have come down, so too have the bowling averages.”
Di Venuto pointed to it taking Steve Waugh 42 Test innings to score his first century as an example of new players taking time to find their feet at Test level.
“The first Test (against West Indies) we had three guys in the top four either playing Test cricket for the second (or third) time or coming back to Test cricket,” he said.
“We had Cameron Green in a really good place before his injury, but he sat out for a year.
“He played (five county) games at Gloucester and then he’s in a World Test Championship final batting at three, which is a different position for him, there’s different challenges. Is he good enough? Absolutely, but sometimes it takes time.
“(Konstas) showed some encouraging signs in the last Test match and it will take time; we’re asking a young man to go out and have instant success,” he said.
“The game doesn’t work like that; sometimes it does, and he did really well in his first Test match and first innings, but the game is hard and there’s some skilful bowlers out there.
“West Indies have a very skilful bowling attack … he’s got to adjust to that. He’s got the skill and talent; we’ve just got to be nice and patient.”
Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First Test: Australia won by 159 runs
Second Test: Australia won by 133 runs
Third Test: July 12-16, Kingston, Jamaica (4.30am AEST)
Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster
West Indies Test squad: Roston Chase (c), Jomel Warrican (vc), Kevlon Anderson, Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty, Justin Greaves, Shai Hope, Tevin Imlach, Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Johann Layne, Mikyle Louis, Anderson Phillip, Jayden Seales
First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 11am AEST)
Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 11am AEST)
Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)
Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)
Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)
West Indies T20 squad: TBC
Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
