Hamstrung batsman Shaun Marsh has been included in Western Australia’s 14-man Sheffield Shield squad but must still clear plenty of hurdles to retain his spot in Australia’s Test side.
Marsh, who tweaked his hamstring earlier this month during the domestic one-day competition, will be put through his paces at WA training on Monday afternoon.
If Marsh pulls up well from that session he will play on Tuesday, when WA start a day-night Shield clash with South Australia in Perth.
The left-hander was considered a long shot to feature in the Test squad that will be unveiled on Friday.
But if Marsh is able to bat without issue at the WACA this week he will certainly come into contention, having scored a century in the final Test of Australia’s miserable tour of Sri Lanka earlier this year.
Marsh is one of many candidates to partner David Warner at the top of Australia’s batting order, with Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja and Cameron Bancroft also in the mix.
“He (Marsh) is just having such bad luck with these injuries. We saw just before he did it here, he was playing beautifully,” WA coach Justin Langer said last week.
“He’s in career-best form … he’s in great form. I just hope his body can hold up so he’s right to play the Shield match then the Test matches.”
WA skipper Adam Voges and allrounder Mitch Marsh will also ramp up their preparations for the first Test in the day-night Shield clash.
Bancroft, floated as a potential Test debutant by Steve Waugh last week, will also be keen for a big score in Perth.
WA squad: Adam Voges (capt), Ashton Agar, Cameron Bancroft, Jason Behrendorff, Hilton Cartwright, Ryan Duffield, Josh Inglis, Michael Klinger, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, David Moody, Nathan Rimmington, Jonathan Wells, Sam Whiteman.
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