Australia coach Andrew McDonald backed Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne to rebound from rare twin failures in the opening Ashes Test, but said it was a positive sign that his team could still win without getting major contributions from them.
The pair mustered only 35 runs between them at Edgbaston, where Australia won by two wickets thanks to a 55-run ninth-wicket partnership between captain Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon.
McDonald said it was "very rare" for Smith and Labuschagne to misfire in the same Test.
"They're disappointed they missed out in this game, but I think any time the Australian cricket team can win without those two performing at high level is always a positive," he added.
"We've got some areas we can improve, there's some growth within the team and there's two obvious ones."
Labuschagne was dismissed for a first-ball duck and 13 while Smith, who scored 774 runs in the 2019 series, scored a 59-ball 16 in the first innings and six in the second.
McDonald expects the pair to work out their own solutions in net sessions.
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Australia's captain Pat Cummins celebrates after hitting the winning runs against England on day five of the Ashes first Test at Edgbaston on June 20, 2023. Getty -
Pat Cummins of Australia celebrates after beating England. Getty -
Pat Cummins of Australia celebrates after hitting the winning runs with teammate Nathan Lyon. Getty -
England captain Ben Stokes reacts. AP -
Joe Root of England celebrates with Ben Stokes after catching Alex Carey of Australia off his own bowling. Getty -
England captain Ben Stokes celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of Australia's Usman Khawaja. PA -
Ollie Robinson of England celebrates after taking the wicket of Cameron Green. Getty -
Australia's Cameron Green is bowled by Ollie Robinson. AFP -
England's Ollie Robinson celebrates after taking the wicket of Cameron Green. Getty -
Australia's Cameron Green is bowled by England's Ollie Robinson during day five of the first Ashes test match at Edgbaston, Birmingham. Picture date: Tuesday June 20, 2023. PA Photo. See PA story CRICKET England. Photo credit should read: Mike Egerton/PA Wire. RESTRICTIONS: Editorial use only. No commercial use without prior written consent of the ECB. Still image use only. No moving images to emulate broadcast. No removing or obscuring of sponsor logos. -
Moeen Ali of England celebrates with Ben Stokes after taking the wicket of Travis Head. Getty -
England's Moeen Ali celebrates after dismissing Australia's Travis Head. AP -
England's Stuart Broad celebrates after taking the wicket of Australia's Scott Boland on day five of the first Ashes Test match at Edgbaston on June 20, 2023. PA -
Australia's Scott Boland after being dismissed by England's Stuart Broad. PA -
Australia's Scott Boland ducks under a short ball. AFP -
Travis Head of Australia hits out. Getty
"I think there's always a curiosity to get better, so we're not going to stall that in any way. They'll come up with different plans, different movements," he said.
"They've seen what England are going to do and how they're going to attack them. They're probably two of the greatest problem solvers we've had over a period of time so you would expect them to go back to the drawing board."
The second Test of the five-match series begins at Lord's on June 28.
Meanwhile, England coach Brendon McCullum said the opening Ashes Test "validated" their attacking approach despite the two-wicket defeat.
England were in the driver's seat for much of the match but Australia's often cautious approach prevailed in the end.
It was England's third defeat in 14 Tests since McCullum joined captain Ben Stokes at the helm last May.
"Obviously you'd rather have won the game, but the way that we played, I think it's validated our style," McCullum said. "If we'd have got a little bit of the rub of the green then we might have been on the other side of it.
"It was a cracking Test match and two very different styles of play. But like a heavyweight boxing match, not everyone has to fight the same.
"I'm sure they (Australia) will stick solid to that strategy all the way through, which I think is great because we'll go a little harder. I think it makes for a really entertaining next few Test matches."
