McDonald backs Australia's class despite Test series loss to South Africa
South Africa won the second and third Tests, and Australia have dropped to third in the World Test Championship standings.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald said his side still has plenty of quality despite losing the Test series to South Africa, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said in a statement on Monday.
Australia lost the final Test by 176 runs after entering it evenly balanced, and South Africa also won the second Test by an innings and 31 runs.
The defeat is Australia's first Test series loss of 2026, following their 4-1 Ashes win over England and a 1-1 draw with Bangladesh earlier in the year.
The result has also moved South Africa to the top of the ICC Men's Test Team Rankings, ahead of Australia.
Australia are third in the ICC World Test Championship standings with a point percentage of 69.23, behind New Zealand and South Africa.
McDonald told Cricinfo that the team remains strong.
"It's still a very good cricket team," McDonald said.
He said the team must also make decisions about its age profile.
"It is difficult and it's not an excuse," McDonald said of playing away from home.
Matt Renshaw led Australia's run scoring with 369 runs across the three Tests.
Josh Inglis returned from injury to score an emphatic 102 in the third Test, which McDonald described as a positive for the batting unit.
McDonald also defended Marnus Labuschagne, whose form struggled in the series.
"We believed in Marnus for this tour," McDonald said, adding that his place would be reassessed before the home summer.
Australia's next Tests are a four-match home series against New Zealand, starting in Perth on Dec. 9.
McDonald said the team will aim to return to the form that made it the top-ranked Test side in the world.