Chief selector Rod Marsh is salivating at his pace but it’s Mitch Marsh’s improved fitness and consistency that has the rising allrounder excited about his World Cup hopes.
Marsh has a gilt-edged chance to seal his spot in Australia’s one-day outfit for this season’s showpiece tournament after being included in a 14-man squad to tour Zimbabwe.
One of three genuine allrounders named on Monday, the 22-year-old’s call-up comes following a lusty 211 for Australia A against India A last month.
But the selection panel is more buoyed by his improved medium-fast bowling, highlighted by a 5-50 return for the A-side in Darwin last week.
Panel chairman Rod Marsh has had his eyes on his young namesake since watching him play at a Sheffield Shield match at the WACA last season.
“I couldn’t believe how fast he bowled,” he said. “The keeper was taking them up here (near his throat) and I thought my God … he was quick.
“If he can maintain that, it gives him a new dimension as a cricketer because we all know how he can bat.”
Injury-plagued Mitch, who played the first of his four ODIs three years ago, said he’d focussed on his control over speed since overcoming a gut-wrenching hamstring tear at the start of last season.
“I’m never going to be an express bowler,” he said. “The biggest thing I’ve worked on is consistency and staying on the park.
“The more you play the better you get so hopefully I can do that.”
Australia’s squad has plenty of flexibility with Marsh and Shane Watson able to bat at the top of the order while the likes of James Faulkner, Ben Cutting and Mitchell Johnson are lusty lower-order hitters.
Cutting’s call-up comes after taking 12 wickets at 18.16 in the A series where he attributed sidelined Test quick Ryan Harris’s coaching as invaluable.
“I’ve worked closely with him on my bowling and he’s been fantastic,” the Queenslander said. “He’s been a big cog in the wheel to get me where I am.”
bearfax
Guest
And Hughes is 71 not out at stumps day 3 in the Australia A match in Townsville
shivam mishra
Guest
but faulkner is better give some time, faulkner won any match in australiya and rajasthan all match very close
mattyb
Guest
Watson injured again,hughes in
shivam mishra
Guest
top 7 batsman- warner,finch,watson,clark,maxwell,bally,hadien after hadien retiered whiteman after clark retiered lynn after watson retierd faulknar after bally ritered/replace smith because faulkner is best allrounder and bighitter & wicket tekar bowler
Rellum
Roar Guru
It is more about a team that needs five bowlers is subtly admitting it does not have the strike power to knock a team over. If you do really need five bowlers you are going to be doing a lot of bowling and not winning many games.
Ken
Guest
I hate it when a side has a keeper at any other position than 7 - the great Gilchrist batted at 7, there's no case for anyone to bat at 6, it just unbalances the side.
Casper
Guest
reckon Geoff Marsh faced far better attacks than Hughes has, the only time Hughes faced genuine pace (SA) he looked completely out of his depth & came into that series in form. No way you can hold down a test spot facing up with that new technique. Maxwell surely has to put something on the board before he inherits the 6 spot, so far it's all 20/20 & potential. Has he scored a first class 100 yet? Mitchell Marsh needs to buckle down & keep away from his brother to make it. The record indicates S Marsh has a problem with discipline. Like Cutting, needs to add about 10kph in pace to be the backup pace-man or all-rounder. It's great to see Ryan Harris working with these fringe bowlers, he's got so much to offer if injury keeps him out of the side. History will look very kindly on Harris for his efforts & I don't think we gave significant credit to his contributions during recent series, would Mitch Johnson have been as good without him at the other end. I'm also interested to see if Chris Lynn can finally step up at the top level, he's got test potential but you can't bank potential.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I jusdt don't see where he fits in. He's not a top 4 bowler, so he'd have to bat in the top 6. You could live with Faulkner at 7 and keeper at 6, because Faulkner's bowling is so good. But not Marsh's. Marsh would only get in at 6. Watto is on the way out (gradually or quickly, depending on who you ask), but Maxwell will be looking to make that no.6 spot his own. Marsh needs to score a heap of runs, consistently, and continue to bowl well.
JGK
Roar Guru
I think Bob was referring to his scoring rate...
bearfax
Guest
Hardly a rock Bob. In 93 test innings he was out for 20 or less on 43 occasions. That's 46%. He was out 27 times for 10 or less. That's 29%.
Bob Sims
Guest
Geoff Marsh was a rock for Australia - never over-rated.Agree Shaun hasn't lived up to expectations but don't forget he has scored two Test centuries, one against South Africa. Wouldn't write him off just yet.
bearfax
Guest
Hopefully Roger, Mitch will achieve success, despite Mickey's support. I mean would you want a failure as a coach predicting your future. (nasty Bear, nasty)
Roger Regor
Guest
Mickey Arthur (remember him?)reckoned that Mitch Marsh could be the next Jacques Kallis...
Rellum
Roar Guru
Swampy was rated highly because of how good a team guy he was and what a good job he did as VC, as well as see off the new ball and form two great opening partnerships for Australia in an era when we probably saw the greatest level of bowling talent getting around. Add to that his gully fielding and he is not close to being over rated. No one has ever said he was a great test batsmen. He was a good test batsmen who added a whole lot more to the team.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
His bowling action looks good, fairly classical and smooth.
mattyb
Guest
He might have a point nudge :),checked some figures and swampy compares well to other so so openers.graeme wood 31.83,wayne Phillips,32.28,Andrew hilditch 31.55,even shaun is around the mark,32.86.40 is a fair benchmark.Greg Matthews batted in the same era 41.08.he's a better bat than Dyson though lol 26.64.
bearfax
Guest
So did Ed Cowan and his average was about the same. 39 is below what the majority of experienced 30+ test players from the top nations expect of a batsman. Only Australia is recent times (and with Geoff Marsh) have accepted less.
mattyb
Guest
He played the role of the gritty opener,saw off the new ball for the batsman below him to cash in in the traditional sense.39's an ok average,got the most out of the ability he had,good temperament for an opener.Fine servant to Australian cricket and served an important role at a very important time.
bearfax
Guest
Sorry guys. Cant accept those excuses. If he was so good, why was his first class averages under 40. He was accepted because he had such a strong batting line up around him. And several of those batsmen had high 40s and early 50s test averages. Sure West Indies had an exceptional bowling outfit. But of his 93 test innings he only faced the West Indies for 19 innings. To suggest that the other teams had better bowling attacks than today is revisionist thinking. As for the question of opening, what was Hughes doing?
Quitwhinging
Guest
Henriques has been averaging over 50 with the bat ands mid 20's with th3 ball the last 3 or so seasons, sound like a good enough reason to look at him?