Another player that may come into contention for selection in that second Test is Cooper Connolly, with the all-rounder overlooked for the Durban contest after he battled a head cold in the lead-up to the match.
Connolly’s ability to bowl quality spin could prove decisive in any decision the Aussies make for the second Test, especially given the fact Green will be unable to bowl in South Africa even if he is fit to play purely as a batter.
Where that leaves the likes of Nic Maddinson and Beau Webster remains to be seen and just how the Aussies shape their batting order in Gqerberha also remains a point of conjecture, with McDonald reaffirming skipper Pat Cummins’ desire for the side to be flexible.
“I suppose the external view on that is that you need specific orders at certain times and this person’s an opener, this person’s a middle-order player,” he said.
“I think we’re more open-minded than that. So we’ll assess what we need to do going to the next Test (playing on a) different surface, potentially, not sure what it sort of holds there, but in terms of where Renners (Matthew Renshaw) will bat, we’ll work through that leading into the next Test.”
