Ignore Mitch Marsh’s career batting average of 32. The statistic that really matters is this: since the start of the 2013-14 summer, the all-rounder has made 1257 first-class runs at an average of 52.
The 23-year-old’s career batting figures often are used as evidence that he doesn’t deserve to be in the Australian Test team.
They are, however, misleading and skewed by the fact he began his first-class career at just 17 years old, one of the youngest players ever to debut in the Sheffield Shield competition.
Marsh looked unprepared for Shield cricket in 2009 but Western Australia were a woeful side (winning only five of 20 games across the 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons) so they probably figured he couldn’t do any worse than other older players.
In Perth, he had a reputation for being a party boy, as did his older brother Shaun, who didn’t always set the best example off the field.
In late 2012, both of them were suspended by their Big Bash League team the Perth Scorchers after a boozy celebration of the younger Marsh’s 21st birthday.
Mitch had been sent home from the Centre of Excellence after arriving to a training session clearly hungover earlier that year.
With injuries also hampering his development, Mitch had failed to go close to exploiting his talent in his first four seasons as a professional cricketer.
Then, in the 2013 off-season, reports emerged that his attitude had changed and his dedication to training had improved significantly. Not surprisingly, the 2013-14 season turned out well for the youngster.
That change took place roughly two years ago. Since his coming of age as an adult, Marsh’s results as a cricketer have been brilliant.
When assessing Marsh’s credentials, pay little attention to his returns prior to the age of 21.
Consider this: of Australia’s 16-man Ashes party, nine of them had not even made their first-class debut before the age of 21.
So why hold against him Marsh’s figures as a teenager playing a man’s sport? The Australian captain Michael Clarke was only 18 years old when he debuted for NSW and, like Marsh, he was criticised for his career first-class record when he first played Test cricket.
While other batsmen in domestic cricket like Brad Hodge owned first-class batting averages in the 50s, Clarke’s was comparatively modest.
He was only 23 years old, the same age as Marsh is now, and his average was rising rapidly, just like Marsh’s is, but was still skewed by his results as a teenager, the same issue afflicting Marsh.
The national selectors, though, saw something extraordinary in Clarke, just as the NSW selectors had before them. The current panel has identified that same rare ability in Marsh, as the Western Australia panel did when he was still in high school.
Marsh was only 19 when he was first appeared for Australia. It might only have been a Twenty20 match but it was in Johannesburg against the best team in the game.
Marsh did not look awed in the slightest by the South Africans and preceded to smash three sixes in four balls off one of the fastest and most intimidating bowlers in the world, Morne Morkel. Immediately, he looked at home in international cricket.
He has appeared similarly assured with the blade in his brief Test career, the highlight of which has been a mature and patient double of 87 and 47 as the Australian batting otherwise crumbled against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi.
Marsh may have made his entry to the top level with a ferocious display of striking, but his reputation as a cavalier batsman does not translate to the longest form of the game.
His blossoming as a batsman has coincided with a greater degree of circumspection. Marsh often is happy to grind for the first hour he arrives at the crease, comforted by the knowledge that once his eye is in he can clatter attacks.
During that wonderful 87 against Pakistan, he arrived at the crease with Australia mired in the muck at 5-100. Marsh recognised that Australia needed to halt Pakistan’s momentum, so for the next 45 minutes he simply knocked the ball around and turned over the strike where possible.
Once he and Clarke had steadied things, Marsh began to put the pressure back on his opponents. He accepted invitations from the Pakistan quicks to drive and used his feet to get after the spinners that had flummoxed his teammates.
It was the textbook construction of a Test innings, his dismissal apart. We saw evidence of this willingness to graft early on again during the first of his two consecutive centuries on this Ashes tour.
Even with Shane Watson motoring at the other end, Marsh just ambled to 24 from 55 balls. He then capitalised on this patient groundwork by blitzing the Kent attack to finish unbeaten on 101 from 94 balls.
Marsh always has been phenomenally gifted. Now, however, he is more than that – he is a composed and clever cricketer.
He is ready for Tests, ready for the Ashes, ready to replace Watson.
Zim Zam
Roar Rookie
I'm really going to miss him ... such fond memories watching the Durham test in 2013, every time we said 'we really need a wicket' he got one the next ball, it happened about three times in a row, it was fantastic. That's the sort of bowler he was - bit of a James Bond. Just got it done no matter what.
Zim Zam
Roar Rookie
With Watto you know what you're going to get - anywhere from 5-15 miserly overs depending on how much they need him, a bit of swing, a reliable way to build pressure or get the run-rate back under control, and the odd break-through wicket. That being so, I think there's something to be said for having one experienced, reliable bowler in an attack that is still finding its feet in a lot of ways. Starc and Johnson have bowled in England and are bowling well at the moment, but they do sometimes go off the boil for a spell or two, and neither of them have really settled into English conditions and had huge success here in the past. I'm backing them 100% to do well, but realistically they're both bowlers who have the odd off-spell and sometimes you just need to give them a break and reapply the pressure with someone else who can really do the line-and-length consistency. Likewise I reckon Hazlewood will do a terrific job, but it is his first time in England so he may take a bit to get used to the conditions and figure out how best to use them. He took a bit of a hiding early on in that tour game, but it looks like he's starting to sort himself out now. If they decide to go with those three bowlers, which I think is possibly the best attack available to us now without Ryno, then they may want to have Watto to offset that, as someone who's on his third tour to England and has really got the hang of bowling to those conditions, rather than yet another young bowler who's still working things out. To be honest I reckon the two all-rounders are pretty close. They're both in form. Watto's experienced, very reliable with the ball and looks good with the bat. Marsh is young, explosive with the bat and a little unpredictable with the ball - sometimes economical, sometimes a bit all over the place. Depends on what the selectors want to go with. I've always liked Watto but realistically, I can't complain whichever way they decide to go.
CT
Guest
The lionhearted Rhino has gone. Big blow to our Ashes chances in my opinion.The bullocking quick has a wonderful ashes record. With him goes a friendly down to earth bloke who would have been a good mentor over the prestigious five test series to our young,green quicks.
blanco
Guest
If we are relying on Watson's bowling we really are in trouble.
Chris Kettlewell
Roar Guru
I've made that exact comment a few times.
JoM
Guest
Nnoooo. Ryan Harris to retire. I'm devastated as will the rest of the team and a whole lot of fans.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
What a shame about Rhino though hardly surprising. I hope he's picked up for coaching quickly. He's got a lot to offer.
Bearfax
Guest
If young Mitch misses out, it will just goes to support my belief that these selectors are far too conservative and arent giving the younger players their chance to get experience at the top level. Hughes, Khawaja, Lynn, Burns. The list goes on.. Hughes may have been an exception, but they didnt use him well and didnt bring him back when his form was hot.. Mitch could be finding the same resistence
clark bushnell
Guest
So why have you all argued the point, and many others for 3 days? Keep saying over and over "The sun's not going to come up tomorrow" and see what happens.
HB
Roar Rookie
I don't think it's his bowling average that the selectors look at; it's his economy rate, which is consistently around 2.75 or less per over. He's a very miserly bowler, and--though personally I think taking wickets is more important--that seems to be why the selectors rate his bowling so highly.
CW
Guest
Watson will get the nod as he is one of the CA "inner circle". He provides "balance with his bowling". Despite only averaging something like 42 with ball in test cricket. He will get the nod despite only scoring meaningful runs when under no pressure. Also getting to 25-35 and failing over and over. He will get the nod because he is one of the old firm that have played for and failed to wrest the tiny urn from England's grasp since 2001. Forget the fact that his performances not not warrant his place.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Daniel Brettig is a very good operator who has been around the Australia team for years now. The fact he included that line prominently in his story suggests to me that the word is that Watson will keep his place. I must admit that I feared this would happen, that Watson would get the nod even if he was massively outperformed by Mitch Marsh, as he has been on this tour so far.
CW
Guest
Oh yes they were. Starc was spraying them all over the place. Neville was diving everywhere but they were even out of his reach. This is the type of erratic bowling that has plagued Starc his entire career. Can not afford to do it against England. To his credit he got some late swing and hammered Essex into oblivion.
Andrew
Guest
I'm hoping the last day of the tour game yields Marsh some wickets and pushes his case even further forcing them to have no other choice than to pick Mitch. I can only think they are worried about all the extras bowled that Watson is picked to try and cover the waywardness of Johnson and Starc. I still think Marshes' runs and wickets should outweigh Watsons supposed tight bowling and lack of runs compared to Marsh.
Don Freo
Guest
Watson would need to pay Mark Waugh's air fare to get him to England and have solo say in selection if he wants to keep his spot.
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
I was shocked by this line in the day cricinfo report: "It is fair to assume Rogers, Voges and Watson have all done just enough to maintain their spots in the Test team, leaving Shaun and Mitchell Marsh as the unfortunate men to miss out." So Watson's 58 runs and zero wickets trumps Mitch Marsh's 208 runs and two wickets? Amazing. What exactly would Marsh have had to do to leapfrog Watson, a man averaging 28 with the bat and 50-plus with the ball in his past eight Tests?
Don Freo
Guest
Their only 2 international batsmen.
Don Freo
Guest
31 byes in one innings is a worry. There was some wayward bowling...but they weren't wides. It's what the good keepers do...clean up the mess.
CT
Guest
If Mitch plays at #6 his bowling will used in the holding role as Watson has been used. But in my view Mitch is better than that. His two Essex wickets were set batsmen on a batting friendly deck.
CT
Guest
The Pom radio commentators say the same thing about Watto. One called him a man "with the mobility of a mattress". Love it. Another said "his body language is saying he does not seem interested in what he is doing".