- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
If there have been any people more maligned than Mitchell Marsh so far this Ashes series, it has been the Australian selectors, but both were redeemed at the weekend.
Since Day 1 at the Gabba, where Cameron Bancroft, Shaun Marsh and Tim Paine came into the team, the selectors have proven themselves correct.
For Cameron Bancroft it was the sheer number of runs scored in the lead-up Sheffield Shield games and perhaps the distinct lack of runs scored by Matthew Renshaw at the same time that saw him in the squad. His 126 runs at an average of 31.5 hasn’t set the world on fire, but he appears to be the type of tough character that will be around the Australian team for a long time.
For Shaun Marsh the Shield runs were also what led to his selection. However, there were many who felt that Shaun had already had way too many chances and that his selection was a poor one. His 51 at the Gabba was a solid contribution, though he got out with Australia still behind in the game, raising questions for the next Test.
His unbeaten hundred in Adelaide was the difference between the two teams. The older Marsh didn’t do it easy, initially grafting his way to a 50, but he was prepared to dig in for as long as it took before the runs started to flow. This was a Shaun Marsh the Australian cricketing public hadn’t seen before in the Test arena.
(Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Of the three selections at the Gabba it was the inclusion of Tim Paine that was the most surprising. Matthew Wade was on the way out and either Alex Carey or Peter Nevill were expected to come into the side, but neither fired with the bat in the Shield. Tim Paine’s 50 in a warm-up game against England and the selectors’ belief that he was a fine keeper – despite not wicketkeeping for his home state – was enough to see him in the starting line-up.
Paine did miss a chance off Nathan Lyon, but overall his keeping has been top notch and he has been happy to have plenty of banter with the English batsmen. His run-scoring has been perhaps below par, but his partnership with Shaun Marsh in the first innings in Adelaide was a very important one after Peter Handscomb was out early on Day 2.
The selection of Mitchell Marsh for the Perth Test was perhaps understandably met with a lot of criticism. The selectors definitely opened themselves up for a lot of fire from home fans if things went wrong. But the selectors were vindicated.
Mitchell Marsh’s innings in Perth may just be the start of a long run in the all-rounder spot. His innings wasn’t great just for the runs scored but also for the way that they were compiled. It was clear that he had put in a lot of hard work on his technique, and his straight driving was the best seen this season.
The doubters will say he was batting on a road, but he entered with the game in the balance, safely negotiated the second new ball with the brilliant Steve Smith and left with Australia in control.
Rain may still have a role to play in this game, but if Australia wrap up the Ashes over the next day or two, the Australian selectors will have certainly played their part in the process.
Build your own fantasy cricket team and put it to the test with Draftstars daily fantasy competitions. Pick your match, pick your team and watch the points roll in to take out cash prizes on each match. What are you really gambling with? Set a deposit limit.