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Shaun Marsh has made 741 Test runs at an average of 53 over the past two years, yet few athletes in Australia are as maligned as the 34-year-old batsman.
His selection in this Ashes series triggered a torrent of negativity from cricket pundits and fans, including myself. While I stand by my opinion that Australia should have picked Glenn Maxwell instead, a lot of the criticism of Marsh at that time was wildly exaggerated.
Marsh is not an incompetent Test cricketer, despite what you might have thought reading some of the reactions to his selection a fortnight ago. Those reactions would also have led you to believe his performances in the Sheffield Shield were not nearly good enough to warrant Test selection.
While Maxwell deserved to be retained at six, Marsh made a strong case by averaging 55 in the Shield over the past four seasons. The West Australian has since well and truly justified his selection by playing two crucial knocks from as many attempts.
In Brisbane Australia were in peril at 4/76 in their first innings and trailing England by 226 runs when Marsh grafted to 51 from 141 balls. That innings halted England’s momentum and paved the way for a pivotal 66-run stand between skipper Steve Smith and tail-ender Pat Cummins.
In Adelaide, it was Marsh who partnered with Cummins to guide Australia to a commanding position. Marsh again had come out to bat with Australia stuttering – this time they were 4/161, with talisman Smith back in the dressing rooms.
The floodlights were on, the ball was nibbling around and England were bowling well with 20 overs left in which to make further inroads. Marsh stonewalled to stumps before revisiting that caution in the first session yesterday as he again sought to wear down the England attack.
(Photo: Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Batting for time was of particular value in this instance because of Australia’s desire to bowl at England with a new ball in the night session. Marsh granted his team their wish by constructing a mature, circumspect hundred which may just have pushed England out of this Test and, perhaps, the series.
For a long while he struggled for timing, yet Marsh never lost patience and tried to hit himself back into touch. Instead he played within narrow parameters and waited for the tide to turn. Eventually it did, and the ball began rebounding sweetly from the middle of Marsh’s bat – elegant drives, scything cuts and powerful pulls peppered the boundary.
Of course, Australia’s impressive first innings effort was not all about Marsh. The performances of Tim Paine and Cummins were also significant not just in the context of this Test but in a wider sense. Paine’s fluent knock of 57 from 102 balls has greatly reduced the pressure on the Australian gloveman after his shock selection.
Cummins, meanwhile, is indicating he has the ability and temperament to become a high-quality bowling all-rounder in Tests.
Although his ten Test innings is an undeniably small sample size, Cummins has impressed repeatedly with the bat as he’s collected 196 runs at 24. While the man batting one spot above him at eight, Mitchell Starc, has just one way of batting – aggressive – Cummins is a well-rounded batsman. He has generous power and a wide array of strokes, as we’ve seen in the shorter formats, where Cummins has played some dynamic knocks.
But he is equally comfortable batting carefully. The 24-year-old was stuck on naught for 36 balls yesterday yet never looked flustered. Some 44 runs flowed from the next 55 Cummins faced as he showcased the other side of his batting. With a tight defence and stoic temperament, Cummins has the foundation to make the most of his significant talent with the bat.
He looks capable of improving on his Test average of 24, which combined with the effective big hitting of Starc would give Australia a robust tail. For now, though, Cummins’ main role is to help Australia skittle England twice over the next three days.
If they can do that, it may well break England’s spirit and leave the tourists to endure yet another horrific series down under.