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