Australia have confirmed their playing XI for the second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay, opting to retain veteran offspinner Nathan Lyon despite strong speculation about an all-pace attack, while handing a recall to opener Matt Renshaw in place of the dropped Jake Weatherald.

The solitary change comes on the back of Australia's shock nine-wicket defeat in the series opener in Darwin, which left the hosts facing a must-win fixture to level the two-match series. Renshaw, 30, is set to make his first Test appearance in more than three years, having last featured in Delhi against India in 2023 as a concussion substitute for David Warner.

Renshaw's selection is a reward for his strong Sheffield Shield form for Queensland, where he averaged 49.9 last season. He replaces Weatherald, who was axed after the top order struggled badly in the opening Test. Marnus Labuschagne, whose place had come under scrutiny due to dwindling returns, has retained his spot in an under-fire batting line-up.

The bigger selection debate, however, surrounded Lyon. The offspinner managed only one wicket in the first Test, prompting discussion about whether Australia could field an all-pace attack. Skipper Pat Cummins initially suggested the team would wait until the morning of the opening day to finalise their combination, with the toss-up between Lyon and seamer Scott Boland.

"[We're] trying to give it another day to see whether it's four quicks or a spinner," Cummins told reporters before Australia locked in their XI on the eve of the Test.

Ultimately, the selectors opted to keep Lyon, sparing him what would have been a third conditions-based exclusion in 13 months. Lyon was previously dropped for two pink-ball Tests — in Jamaica against the West Indies and in Brisbane during the Ashes — in favour of a fourth seamer. After the second of those omissions, he expressed being "absolutely filthy" over missing out.

The decision to retain Lyon is significant given Australia's recent willingness to rely entirely on pace in certain conditions. However, leaving Lyon out of a red-ball Test when fit would have been a major break from tradition — the last time Australia omitted the veteran spinner from a Test despite him being fit was 14 years ago, at the WACA Ground in 2012.

The Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay is set to host its first-ever Test and only its fourth first-class fixture in the last decade, adding a layer of uncertainty over how conditions will play. Australia already have five seam options at their disposal, courtesy of the presence of both Cameron Green and Beau Webster in the top seven. The hosts studied footage from a four-day clash between Australia 'A' and India 'A' at the venue in 2024, where pacers had a major say, but Cummins refused to place too much emphasis on that data.

"[It] looked like it kind of got better to bat on the longer the game went on, but it's a couple of years ago," Cummins said. "You take it as data, but it's not the [only factor affecting the selection] decision. It's largely conditions based."

Australia XI for 2nd Test vs Bangladesh: Matt Renshaw, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Cameron Green, Alex Carey (wk), Beau Webster, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood