Mitchell Johnson: Marnus Labuschagne’s form the real issue as Australia faces top-three mess ahead of Ashes

Cam Green will face criticism after his double failure at No.3 in the World Test Championship final, but the Australian selectors are the ones who should be answering the tough questions.

While I supported Green’s inclusion in the team as a batsman only due to his good form in county cricket, the critical No.3 spot really needs to be filled by your best batsman.

It’s obvious Green didn’t perform well – out for 4 and 0 and facing just five balls for the match. And the way he got out to Kagiso Rabada in both innings highlights that he might not be suited for that position.

But the real issue stems from Marnus Labuschagne’s poor form, similar to what we saw with Steve Smith moving up to open when he was struggling a bit. I’m just not a fan of these batting reshuffles to cover for lack of form.

With the West Indies tour and then the Ashes coming up this summer, Australia will need to settle on not only two openers but also find a reliable No.3.

You need the right mentality at first drop and a balance between technique and aggression. Green did get two quality balls and that happens batting at No.3. The best players generally bat at three and I think Green, normally an all-rounder, would be better suited down the order.

Our successful ‘big four’ bowling attack of Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon can’t be taken for granted as a lock going forward either.

We’ve seen concerns about Hazlewood’s fitness in recent years, and his decision to prioritise returning to the delayed Indian Premier League over his national team preparations raised eyebrows. Lyon didn’t look his best on day three either.

If veteran players are sticking around just for the Ashes as a send-off, it does beg the question of whether that’s the right mindset. It’s crucial that we embrace the future and build confidence in selecting our next Test players.

Players on the fringe such as Sam Konstas, Josh Inglis and Scott Boland, despite being 36, have a different mentality. They’re eager to prove themselves every time they get a chance.

I’m not being overly critical of an ageing team which has achieved plenty together. Our established players including the senior bowling quartet, Usman Khawaja, Smith and Labuschagne have achieved some great things.

But it’s essential to consider when the right time is to make some tough calls. The upcoming three-Test Windies tour seems like an excellent opportunity to give deserving players a chance to shine, and the finger injury to Smith might have the silver lining of prompting some regeneration.

Finding a specialist No.3 is crucial, and with the form Labuschagne has shown over the past 18 months, it’s hard to justify moving him back into that position. Trying to make changes in all top-three batting slots at once would indeed be risky, and I don’t think the selectors will go that route.

Konstas looms as a solid option for the pitches in the West Indies, especially with an experienced player in Khawaja alongside him.

Nathan McSweeney, discarded after three Tests of carnage from Jasprit Bumrah last summer, also looks to have the right technique and determination to bat in the top three. However, I’m not too optimistic that any significant change will happen soon.

I really want to see Inglis back in the Test team. While I’m not a fan of him opening, he’s shown good form and could potentially make an impact in the top six when not keeping.

The bigger picture for Australia is that there are capable players on the domestic circuit who could step up, but they need to be extended belief, time and patience to adjust.

Once we start to see the end of this experienced team, or if we see a bunch of senior players dropped at once, it could leave the team vulnerable. It’s vital we plan for that transition carefully to prevent being exposed.

Having been impressive in the first innings, the Aussie bowlers appeared to be underdone and went searching for wickets as the brilliant partnership between Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma began to take the match away from Australia.

There were stats that not many teams had ever chased more than 200 runs to win a Test match at Lord’s but Test cricket is a funny game an anything can happen.

Conditions began to look better for batting as the sun came out on Friday, as long as batsmen applied patience and intent when required.

Without taking away from South Africa’s performance, particularly their batting in the fourth innings, you do wonder if Australia was truly Test match-ready.

The Proteas might have had the best of the conditions to bat in, but they were brave enough to send Australia in after winning the toss and backed that up by bowling well.

Not many would have picked South Africa at the start of their fourth-innings chase, but ultimately the final came down to the fight within on day three and a battle of that characteristic Test match grit and determination.

Hobbling on one leg, captain Bavuma batted with tremendous heart to play through a hamstring injury and his spirit would have undoubtedly lifted his team.