How Shaun Marsh managed to break back into the Australian test side before Phil Hughes is beyond me.
This season he has played five matches and scored 248 runs at an average of 31 with just one century. He is well below par.
Marsh debuted for Western Australia way back in the 2000-01 Sheffield Shield season. Since then he has played 87 matches and managed 4956 first class runs at an average of 35.40.
These are hardly statistics which say “pick me”.
I’ve heard people say statistics don’t count for much but over a long period time, these numbers matter.
If a player is relatively new to first class cricket and averages 35 you can say he has the potential to improve.
Marsh has played 13 years of first class cricket without scoring the big runs. Potential is not an excuse anymore.
You might say George Bailey had been quite poor form the last few seasons before being picked for The Ashes.
That’s correct. But George Bailey was picked on the back of his Bradman-esque form in the one day format. (Yes I know Bradman never played one day cricket).
Bailey scored an amazing 478 runs from six innings at an average of 95.60 during the one day series in India. It might not have been red ball cricket but it was runs on the board.
In 13 years of first class cricket Marsh has scored just nine first class centuries, less than one per season.
You need to be consistently getting big scores to be considered for Test match cricket.
Take a look at someone who consistently scores run in Shield cricket, Phillip Hughes for example. During Phil Hughes’ career he has played 106 first class matches for 8381 at an average of 45.54.
He debuted for New South Wales in 2007 and has scored 24 centuries since. He is still only 25 years old.
Hughes’s first class average is 10 higher than Marsh’s.
Yet somehow Marsh was originally on the plane to South Africa before Hughes.
Hughes only averages 32.65 from 26 Tests with three centuries.
With time his average will go up. He’s a class above when it comes to the Sheffield Shield. This season he scored 549 runs at an average of 61 from just five matches.
Okay so Marsh scored a century one Test ago against South Africa, the second of his career. That’s wonderful, but he also got in the zilch last Test.
Two ducks. Quack quack.
In his 15 Test innings to date, he has scored six ducks. That’s right, six He’s scored three twice. So that means in more than half of his Test innings he’s scored three or less.
On another note, when he’s fully fit I’d like to see James Faulkner get an extended run in the Test team.
He’s still only 23 years old, averages 24 with the ball which is outstanding. But he averages 30 with the bat and in my opinion, his batting is only going to get better.
Obviously he is more a bowler than batsmen.
He’s been batting a bit in the top six for Tasmania. I’d like to somehow fit him into the Test team whether it is at seven or eight.
Shaun Marsh is an excellent one day and Twenty20 player, but quite ordinary in the long form. He’s not up to the consistency of Test match cricket.
If you think he deserves to play Test cricket for Australia, then tell me why. I’d love to hear it.
Jordan Wykes
Roar Rookie
Johnny Boy Jnr, hiding behind an alias? Hughes didn't deserve to be dropped in against England in 2009 or last year. Marsh's Shield form hardly deserves selection for WA. No one is questioning technique, just Marsh's lack of consistency.
Declan McClure
Roar Pro
well the word means shiny, so when applied to sports its obviously being used figuratively, leaving a bit of room for subjectivity.
Johnny Boy Jnr
Guest
Jordan, some advice: 'Don't give up your day job son' Phil Hughes has had 5 chances trying to establish himself so you would think given Marsh has a fractionally higher test average that he would be entitled to 2. There is also more scrutiny over Hughes' technique at Test level (most notably to seam bowlers early in his innings). Remember 'Caught Guptill Bowled Martin'??? He is also averaging 48 since his come-back which makes your article even more of a comical farce. If you want to give your personal opinions which are based on emotion then perhaps you should stay in the comments column.
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
how'd you go in high school English punter?
ozinsa
Guest
Is that true? I would have thought given the order in which they were moved inside the team dynamic that Doolan was preferred and will be the one retained.
mactheblack
Guest
No one's talking about Warner; dropped about seven times over two tests and now has become an opening kingpin. Rogers, after being castigated after his poor Centurion showing, all of a sudden a mainstay after a century on a benign pitch. Lies, lies and damn statistics in the case of Marsh. Give him another chance after his 145 at Centurion - that was a gem of an innings. What's happened to Ed Cowan, Marcus North and Matthew Wade. by the way. Haddin over-rated and should make way for Wade. Haddin's reflexes also letting him down behind stumps as was evident by the catch he dropped off Hashim Amla; any wickie should have taken that! Cowan showed on his last tour of SA that he can grind it out. Aussies need a couple of grinders at mom, otherwise the 90/4 syndrome will keep snapping at their heels. Aussies in need of a solid opening pair in the mould of a Simon Katich/Langer. Maybe a place should be made for Luke Pommersbach in the middle order? I feared the day "Mr Cricket" retired.
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
Ok maybe Bradman had some unorthodoxies, but his technique was perfect in meeting the ball. Orthodox technique is one thing, but good technique, getting into position, meeting the ball is another, they're often the same but not always.
Francis Curro
Roar Pro
He just struggles to start his innings. When he gets off to a start he gets big runs. Get the batting coach on that one.
Declan McClure
Roar Pro
Good thinking. Exactly the right way to go about it.
Declan McClure
Roar Pro
Smith technique is to play across the line and flip it too leg side, which leaves him at a disadvantage to left arm over. unconventional techniques can make it very difficult to bowl to.
Declan McClure
Roar Pro
Lara especially and Bradman apparently both had unconventional techniques that gave the bowler a chance, I'd put them in with the statistical one. Lara's excessive backlift definitely made him vulnerable to good quick bowling, he was just bloody good so it didn't impede him too much.
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
So techies then: Bradman, Lara, Tendulkar, Chappell, Sangakarra, Mark Waugh, Gower...
Dalgety Carrington
Guest
By "shocking technique" do mean "not elegant"? Chanderpaul had one of the best defensive techniques going around, always had. His offensive game was a bit limited, although he did develop a greater number of attacking strokes as his career wore on. Smith's technique isn't bad either.
Sean Greenhill
Guest
The problem with the selection of Marsh, and perhaps Doolan, is that it's quite possible to foresee, before they play, that they are not long term solutions. Their averages of under 40 in FC cricket won't translate to 45+ averages in Tests. Particularly in Marsh's case, as he has no more improvement after 13 seasons at the top. Doolan is in his fifth season, so there may be SOME improvement... but not that likely. They will sometimes score good innings, but obviously not often enough to justify being a top 6 Test batsman, given their FC histories. Therefore, when they do score runs at Test level, they're postponing the inevitable dropping. Take the emotion out of it- they're simply not quite good enough, long term. On the flip side, players like Lynn, Silk, Carters, have similar or superior FC records after only a season or two, so there's potential for improvement and likely benefit from being around Test players in a touring squad. It's a waste that Silk or Lynn weren't in the South African touring squad ahead of someone like Marsh. Hughes has a FC career average in the high 40s and has scored 24 FC tons, whereas Marsh is 5 years older and has only 9 FC tons. Hughes has been misused for much of his Test career, being chopped and changed around the middle order when he is normally an opener. It makes far more sense to give Hughes an extended Test chance than Marsh or Doolan.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Yep. Spot on.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
He hasn't had as many chances as Hughes. Hughes has played over 20 tests now. I'm not a fan of Marsh as a test player, I don't think he's any good at international T20 either, he's a one day player and no more. Lovely batsman to watch when he's playing well. But if it swings at Newlands, Phlander will get him out on the pads again.
Spanker
Guest
The more we rationalise why batsmen averaging 35 MUST be in the team, the more our batsman will average 35, instead of the 45 or 50 we need to be #1. You can't rationalise sustained failure, stop trying -- Comment from The Roar's iPhone app.
SteveOL
Roar Pro
Could you explain what you mean by taking out the ducks? Surely you're not giving those knocks a free pass?
Daniel Hackett
Roar Rookie
Good article by he way Jordan, well said
Daniel Hackett
Roar Rookie
Hughes in at 3 for Marsh, Waton in at 4 for Doolan = Australian batting lineup instantly 30% better