Australia’s chief selector, Trevor Hohns, yesterday said Mitch Marsh had been picked as a bowling all-rounder for the Test tour of India, despite Marsh’s bowling average of 114 from five Tests in Asia.
This was a change of tack from the selectors, who have always described and used the younger Marsh brother as a batting all-rounder during his 19-Test career.
It was also a curious choice of words given that Australian captain Steve Smith showed little faith in Marsh’s bowling during the side’s last tour of Asia.
It was clear from the start of that series, in Sri Lanka six months ago, Smith did not rate Marsh’s medium pace on the slow, low pitches.
In the first Test in Pallekele, Marsh did not bowl in the first innings and in the second innings he was the seventh bowler used, behind part-timers David Warner and Adam Voges.
During that three-Test series, where pitch conditions were similar to those expected in India, Marsh bowled only 35 overs. To be fair to Smith, it is hard to place greater responsibility in Marsh when he’s only managed two wickets from his five Tests in Asia.
Marsh is a useful fifth bowler on non-Asian pitches. From his 14 Tests in Australia, New Zealand and England, he has a fine record of 27 wickets at an average of 31. In Asia though, Marsh has struggled.
It’s not that he’s bowled horribly – he has, in fact, been accurate and frugal, going for just three runs per over in Tests in Asia. The issue is that his bowling has had such limited penetration on pitches which don’t offer reasonable pace and bounce.
His strike rate of 225 in Asia is extraordinarily high. That means it takes Marsh 37.3 overs to take each wicket. These are not the figures of a man you want as a bowling all-rounder in India against a brutally powerful and long batting line-up.
Australia’s selectors value the role of a batting all-rounder, but the last time they picked a bowling all-rounder in a Test match was James Faulkner, three-and-a-half years ago, in the final Test of the 2013 Ashes in England.
For the match, Faulkner collected 6-98 and made 45 runs. He’s never been seen in the baggy green since. Faulkner must be wondering how Marsh was picked ahead of him as a bowling all-rounder. With a bowling average of 24 and batting average of 33, Faulkner has a comfortably better first-class record than Marsh (bowling average of 28, batting average of 29).
Faulkner also has been in better form in the Sheffield Shield this summer, making 228 runs at 57 and taking six wickets at 33, compared to Marsh’s return of 26 runs at 6.5 and eight wickets at 28.
That’s not to suggest that Faulkner deserved to be in Australia’s line-up for the first Test in Pune next month. But, surely, if the selectors wanted a pace bowling all-rounder to play in India, Marsh should not be the first option.
Armchair Expert
Guest
It's amazing what the stroke of a pen can do.
qwetzen
Guest
No. I posted almost the identical a few days back. And his odi rating has slipped. It was #1 recently and now, despite playing low ranked countries, and playing his last 5 games at home, his ICC ODI ranking has recently fallen from #1 to #4.
Ozibatla
Guest
Absolutely Ashan. I posted a very similar observation in this exact section. His delivery point and wrist position is lower. So whilst the seam comes out still rotating nicely it is tilted to the left and therefore the ball doesnt swing conventionally very much
Chris Love
Roar Guru
Wade at 6? Lol! Wade shouldn't be batting any higher than 12 for Australia.
Ashan D
Roar Pro
Am I the only one has noticed that there is something wrong with Mitch Starc's action now compared to 4 months ago in SL and before. His delivery point seems to be low and his arm looks slightly more roundish or at an angle rather than straight. I think he's lost some ability to swing the bowl into the right handers, thus we see him go around the wicket a lot with that round arm action. I dont know whos coaching, but there is something to correct I think.
Craig
Guest
There's really only 1 position up for grabs in the lineup, its the 5th bowling/6th batsman position. If you want a bowling option - pick Cummins. Marsh only bowled over 20 overs in an innings once, and that was his last test match. He averaged just under 9 overs per innings. If you have a 5th bowling option bowling 10-12 overs, make them quality overs and have someone who has a little gas to create some opportunities for Wade to drop. Know Cummins role as the 5th option, don't overuse him. If you want a batting option - S Marsh slots in (or in my mind, Khawaja comes in as I would drop Khawaja for Marsh) if you want to hedge your bets and have someone who can (but probably wont) bowl a few overs to give the quicks a break- Maxwell or Head There really isn't a scenario where M Marsh is required.
jameswm
Roar Guru
Where was I defending his spot in the squad? Have you actually read my posts? You've already conceded you missed part of one. Selective memory perhaps.
jameswm
Roar Guru
I was wondering that.
jameswm
Roar Guru
40? You mean 37. Rounding up? If you take out his first 3 tests, he averages 32, which is fine for a 5th bowler.
Joel Bol
Guest
Fantastic post BurgyGreen which shows up how irrational those two selections are.
Ozibatla
Guest
Sometimes you have to look past the stats. Hazlewood has certainly come on in leaps and bounds. But something doesnt look right with Starc. I think his wrist position is not right, it seems hes got a little low with it. This would explain why hes lost some of the inswing to the right handers
Sinep eguh a evah i
Roar Rookie
M marsh is a special talent.he's an allrounder who bats like a bowler and bowls like a batsman
Ozibatla
Guest
Ok I will back that claim up by suggesting how well did our guys go in sri lanka bar Starc? Ashes 2015, both Starc and Hazlewood were disappointing at times. Hazlewood was inconsistent in New Zealand last year. All of them struggled in the UAE in 2014. Summer of 2014/15, we struggled in the field against India, mind you those pitches were featherbeds.
Lancey5times
Roar Rookie
I laughed at the last paragraph and then cried a little. Now I feel weird
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
I hope they don't have Mitch Marsh in the starting 11 for the first couple of tests at least - he's not stupid, he knows he hasn't earnt it. Seeing him speak after a Scorchers game, it appeared to me that he was relieved to be back in domestic cricket so I'm not sure they've done him any favours with this selection. Of course, he'll end up playing at some point, there is no way the tour will get away without at least one very weird looking 11 out there. Maxwell at 3 and MMarsh at 6 might be on by about the third test when Usman has been dropped again and they are trying to cram two all-rounders and four spin options into the line-up.
Broken-hearted Toy
Guest
Yes, he's a conservative skipper. You can only hope that he'll learn to be more flexible.
Felix
Guest
He did indeed, and he was given his reprieve and unfortunately failed again in the abysmal Hobart test, where he wasn't alone. I know quite a few of the Bulls players that play golf - they all joined the same club I play at in Brisbane, along with Renshaw and Khawaja just recently. The inside word is that Burns gets inside his own head too much and gets paralysis by analysis. I genuinely hope he goes back and scores big for QLD in the remaining shield games to push his name right back up there. He'd be a great number 6.
John Erichsen
Roar Guru
I was so relieved when the Selectors finally realised Mitch Marsh wasn't a test batting all-rounder. Now this. Where will he bat? His stats and current form have him batting lower than Starc so number nine it is. Is that an all-rounder or a specialist bowler and if the latter, is he the best option for low turning pitches in India?
qwetzen
Guest
That's a silly thing to say given the number of players dropped this summer.
qwetzen
Guest
This is not my opinion, but one thing that may have been counted against Faulkner by the selectors is that India have absolutely owned his bowling in odis. His career stats are perfectly respectable with an average of 29.4 and a rpo of 5.4, but against India they blow out to 45.8 @ 6.6. Perhaps the selectors believe that the Indians have mastered all his tricks?