- Video
-
Club Roar
Captured a great grassroots sporting moment? We want to see it!Content Collections
The Roar Community
- Join
- Login
While Sunday night’s Big Bash game between the Melbourne Stars and Sydney Thunder was a thrilling encounter, all eyes were on one man and his dodgy hamstring.
To the relief of all of Australia, besides Shaun Marsh and his supporters, that hamstring passed the test – to the tune of a century.
Usman Khawaja’s inevitable return to for the Boxing Day Test match looks set to mean the axing of either Joe Burns or Marsh.
While Burns certainly hasn’t set the world alight, a second-innings century at the Gabba and a number of strong starts means he must be retained at the top of the order.
For a while now the Australian Test team has been prone to moving guys to spots in the batting order at which they aren’t a regular. They need to buck this trend and give Burns a longer stint at the top of the order to truly discover whether he is a good fit or not.
This means that, despite his century in the last Test match, Marsh must be the man to be left out.
Maybe if he made a few more in tough conditions in Adelaide he could be considered, but one century against a woeful bowling attack should not be enough to keep his spot.
It should give him confidence that he can play at Test level, but he needs to go back to state cricket and pile up runs to force his way in on his own merit, rather than just as an injury replacement.
We all know the talent he possesses, but he has wasted so many opportunities. He must build a case to be picked ahead of someone, not just as their understudy.
On Boxing Day, if Australia are batting on Day 1, expect to see Burns opening and Khawaja in at first drop.
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.