McDonald urges patience with Australia's new top-order

Australia coach Andrew McDonald has called for patience as the Test team works through a top-order transition, backing young players to grow into their roles despite a mixed outing in the first Test against West Indies.

With senior batter Steve Smith missing the Barbados Test due to injury, Australia fielded a new-look top four that included Sam Konstas as opener, Cameron Green at No.3 and Josh Inglis at No.4. All three batters failed to get big scores on what was admittedly a tough pitch, but McDonald believes there were signs of progress, especially in how they handled their second innings.

"When you start your career, it takes you a while to get to the level and it requires patience on all levels, that comes from coaching and external and internal," McDonald said. "These guys are on a journey. They're starting it out and some people get there faster than others..."

Konstas was dismissed cheaply in both innings, often appearing caught between attack and defence. He played as many as 38 balls for his 5 runs in the second innings, often walking at the quicker bowlers, before eventually edging behind a rising delivery. For McDonald, that kind of experimentation is part of the learning curve.

"He's debriefing that and we've had some conversations around, if you're in that situation again, what does that look like?" McDonald said. "And that's what experience is; it's learning from previous events and trying to implement a way through that.

"It felt like he was stuck at times. It was over-aggressive and then underplayed and it's really that balance and tempo..."

Konstas, still just 19, was playing alongside Usman Khawaja at the top of the order. McDonald believes that partnership will mature over time and emphasised that Australia's setup supports players learning to work with their flaws rather than chasing technical perfection.

"He's got a really good partner down the other end that over time will play out and that's all we ask for, is a bit of patience and time with a young player coming into Test cricket," he said. "He knows his deficiencies but from a batting perspective, I encourage all players to learn to play with their deficiencies.

"I don't think there's such a thing as a perfect technique and if that's what you're looking for, then I think you're looking in the wrong place. He'll learn to play with what he's got."

Smith is likely to return for the second Test in Grenada, which means one of the top four from Barbados will make way. McDonald said that the team wants to avoid too many moving parts, especially the opening combination, which means Konstas is set to get a long rope as Australia look ahead to the Ashes at home later this year.

"We've been on the record around trying to settle this order down and give some stability, in terms of the opening combination in particular. So the least amount of moving parts the better for us when you've got an injured player."

Cameron Green, now being groomed as a long-term No.3, is also set to continue settling into the role. With his bowling on hold due to a back injury, he has been focusing on his batting through this Caribbean tour.

"It feels like he's almost starting his Test career again, he's had such a long layoff," McDonald said. "He's just trying to find that tempo at Test level.

"Thirty Test matches in now, he's got the temperament and technique to bat anywhere in that order... we see him as number three," McDonald added. "He's definitely good enough."

As for Travis Head, his role at No.5 is fixed for now, despite the absence of Smith and Marnus Labuschagne leaving a gap in the top order. McDonald said the team preferred not to shuffle too much and wanted to keep some parts of the order stable.

"We see him as a fit at five and we like that position for him," McDonald said. "Could he bat higher? He's batted high on the subcontinent, so clearly, he can.

"It's more how we want to balance out that top order, we see him as a five in these conditions and in Australian conditions, and in other conditions (subcontinent) we see him higher up the order."