The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Stoinis the man to replace Mitch Marsh

31st December, 2015
Advertisement
(AP Photo/Tim Ireland)
Expert
31st December, 2015
173
4033 Reads

If Mitch Marsh fails again with the bat in the SCG Test, Marcus Stoinis should replace him at six for the upcoming series in New Zealand.

While limited overs star Glenn Maxwell also has strong claims to a Test spot, on expected bowler-friendly decks in New Zealand Stoinis’ top order experience and tight technique would make him a better fit.

If Marsh manages to hold his spot for the Tests against the Kiwis, Maxwell may well become his main competitor given Australia’s following tour involves three Tests on spinning decks in Sri Lanka in July.

Marsh’s incisive medium pace has greatly enhanced Australia’s attack this year. Not only has he snared 21 wickets at the terrific average of 23 in his past nine Tests, but the West Australian regularly has made key breakthroughs, with few tail-enders among his wicket haul.

Captain Steve Smith has been so impressed with Marsh’s bowling that he this week http://www.espncricinfo.com/australia-v-west-indies-2015-16/content/story/956221.html told media that when Marsh was in rhythm he was “as good as any of the bowlers around the country at the moment”.

Regardless of how well Marsh is bowling, though, he is failing in his main task. As a member of Australia’s top six, Marsh needs to make regular meaningful contributions with the bat. So effective is his bowling, that were he able to average 35 with the bat he would be a very valuable Test cricketer.

Yet that batting mark appears a distant dream at this stage. Forget maintaining an average of 35, it has been nine Tests now since Marsh has even reached 35 runs in an innings.

A powerful striker of the ball, he started his Test career brightly with the blade, making five scores of 27 or more in his first six innings. Among those was a terrific double of 87 and 47 in his second Test, against Pakistan in Abu Dhabi, as the Australian batting lineup crumbled twice.

Advertisement

In his past nine Tests, however, Marsh has a high score of 34, while having made just 153 runs at 15. To further outline how badly he has laboured with the bat, in their last nine Tests Mitchell Starc made 215 runs and Mitchell Johnson 194 runs.

It will be interesting to see whether Australia consider pushing Marsh up the order at the SCG to offer him the chance for a long bat. As much as Marsh has looked in poor touch at Test level recently he also has often found himself arriving at the crease with his team pushing for a declaration.

At the start of this summer I argued that Marsh and rookie batsmen Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns should be given all six home Tests to prove themselves. Marsh is expected to play at the SCG, which will be his seventh consecutive Test.

That is a generous run. Unless he can show a marked improvement in batting touch next week, he should not be retained in the side for the tour of New Zealand.

It seems likely that those two Tests against the Kiwis will be played on green, seaming tracks, similar to those on which the Australian batting collapsed in England this year.

Kiwi pacemen Trent Boult and Tim Southee are lethal in such conditions. If Australia are to win that series they cannot afford to have a passenger in their top six.

Were Marsh to be dropped for that series, Victorian Marcus Stoinis should replace him.

Advertisement

Stoinis does not boast the same pedigree with the ball, but his first-class bowling record of 14 wickets at 66 drastically undersells his ability as a frugal fifth bowler. While he doesn’t boast great pace, operating in the 125-135kmh range, Stoinis’ strength is his control.

He has been used sparingly this Sheffield Shield season by a Victorian side which has a very strong frontline attack, plus quality fifth and sixth bowling options in Dan Christian and Glenn Maxwell. But Stoinis underlined the useful role he can play with the ball in Australia A’s two unofficial Tests against India A in Chennai in July.

On lifeless pitches, Stoinis took 3-93 from 42 overs across those two matches, conceding a miserly 2.2 runs per over. Playing the same role that would be expected of him in the Test side, he maintained pressure while the frontline bowlers rested.

If the pitches in New Zealand are as bowler-friendly as expected, then the Tests should be low scoring and the workload on frontline bowlers not excessive. In such conditions, a fifth bowler capable of sending down eight to ten economical overs a day would suffice.

On green decks, Stoinis’ accurate mix of swing and seam would not be easy to get away. He shapes as a handy bowler to keep things tight at one end in between bursts by Australia’s quicks.

Of course, it is Stoinis’ neat technique and circumspection with the blade which offer him a major advantage over Marsh. In what probably will be difficult conditions for batting in New Zealand, having an accomplished top order batsman at number six, rather than an out-of-form hitter, would greatly stiffen the Australian batting.

A top seven of David Warner, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Steve Smith, Adam Voges, Marcus Stoinis and Peter Nevill would rival any in Test cricket. After being denied regular opportunities for Western Australia early in his career, Stoinis has blossomed since being made Victoria’s number three in the Sheffield Shield.

Advertisement

He has become a highly-dependable batsman, making 1442 runs at 48 in his past 19 Shield games.On his batting alone, Stoinis is a worthy Test prospect. Stoinis’ better-than-they-look medium pace offerings may just edge him into the Test side if Marsh fails to shine with the bat at the SCG.

close