Steve Smith’s decision not to enforce the follow-on in Adelaide is why Mitch Marsh will get a gig in Perth.
The Australian captain would’ve loved to have gone for the proverbial jugular and sent England straight back in under lights for their second innings in the second Ashes Test.
Why wouldn’t you with a hefty, 215-run lead?
Why wouldn’t you when your bowlers are all revved up and you want to rip in again while you’ve got the opposition pinned on the ropes?
Crucially, why wouldn’t you when you know that the new pink ball hoops around when the sun goes down and the lights on?
C’mon! All the intel was there. A number of state captains had even declared when their team were seven or eight down in day-night Sheffield Shield games just to get the most out of the new pill under the big lights.
Why wouldn’t you want Mitchell Starc zipping the ball around at 145km an hour, especially when the wicket had quickened up a touch since the first two days?
Why?
Because Smith still frets about overloading his quick bowlers, who are assets both highly valuable as well as fragile.
Because of twinges, tears, hot spots, sore spots.
Because rest for the big quicks and injury-prevention are at the forefront of the skipper’s mind.
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But, as Jimmy Anderson swung it around to get the Poms back in the game with a sniff, Smith’s mind probably would’ve been made up that he needed some insurance for his fast bowlers.
Starc has been troubled by ankle issues over the past two years and had plenty of time off. Josh Hazlewood came home from Bangladesh with a side strain in September. And there’s few body parts that Pat Cummins hasn’t torn, twisted or wrenched over his short career.
The freakish, three-pronged pace attack are a big reason why Australia look so formidable at the moment. And a lot of the time on a pitch with a bit of juice, many sides won’t last more than 70-90 overs.
But the fear of injury to one of his bruisers hangs like a dark cloud over Smith.
So it seems certain he’s going to purchase some Mitch Marsh insurance, which covers high-end assets in the Australian cricket team.
It proves how prized the pace trio is to Smith.
All he wants is as little as eight to ten overs of medium pace for those innings when Australia are forced to bowl 115-plus overs.
Nathan Lyon will usually pick up 35-odd of those, but the skipper doesn’t want three pacemen being called back for their sixth and seventh spells. He wants that fifth bowling option.
And Marsh – even though he’s bowled just 22 overs over two recent Shield games – has been making runs. His overs don’t even need to be fast and furious. As long as he gives his strike bowlers a break. Steady the innings. Be economical.
AAP Image/Dave Hunt
As always, it’s about timing too.
Glenn Maxwell has been piling on the runs, but of course a medium-pacer is best as that fifth option at the WACA (which, despite the recent pitch reviews, still seems a pretty bouncy wicket to me after watching some of the last Shield match at the ground).
And who makes way for Marsh? Probably Peter Handscomb. Anderson made him look ordinary in the second dig, but Smith’s mind might have already been made up about needing another bowler before Handscomb got to the crease.
Smith got worked over too, and any regret at not enforcing the follow-on and driving home Australia’s significant advantage was due to his fear of overloading his quicks.
Australia’s selectors and Smith, like every other nation, want that all-rounder. They need that all-rounder. No one wants to ditch Project All-Rounder.
Ironically, England have one of the best. But he’s in New Zealand.
Bob
Guest
Having 5 bowlers isn't going to help much if our batting fails against Broad and Anderson. Why Maxwell is not in defies logic.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
OK - 4 then. Remember he's coming back from an injury so its not like he has been bowling long spells all season
qwetzen
Guest
I tried that approach with my cooking. It didn't work.
qwetzen
Guest
Unchanged. Fabulous.
qwetzen
Guest
"Watto’s only crime was not being as good as everyone thought he should’ve been." Disagree. His only crime was leaving it far too late in his career to move to NSW.
qwetzen
Guest
You do read some funny things in here. One post says that Usman doesn't have a problem with... I was going to say 'spin', but perhaps 'slow bowlers' is more accurate, and then almost immediately someone's claiming that GRJM was an all rounder.
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
Lol, you also reckon Ben Stokes isn't an important player in the England side...
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
Nope, Cummins and Starc already fit that description jwm. A proper batsman (Doug in England excepted) who can bowl not the other way around.
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
Lol, I think you just described a batsman who has no clue against spinners Sprucie Goosie
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
3 over spells, really? Much worse for the bod than longer spells old mate.
Train Without A Terminus
Guest
Oops, you've annoyed The Donald ?⛳??
Don Freo
Guest
It's up to Wildermuth to make it famous. The Marsh boys didn't have a famous name until they made it so. Geoff was hardly a household name in his era..
The Bush
Roar Guru
Matt, Dealing first with “easy” and “hard” runs. Of course we wouldn’t judge a player who scored plenty when a series was last live and failed after it was over as low. That player clearly contributed big, key runs that resulted in a series win - the entire point of structuring test tour season in series. In contrast, as nice as it is, scoring a century in a fifth test after you’ve already lost 3-0 is clearly less valuable. We needed the century several tests earlier. As to Watto’s statistics, I suppose when I consider a player I look for some sort of consistency across a decent period of time. A I’ve pointed out, Watto’s average looks serviceable, but in reality we got about 18 month so of top shelf stuff and three times more very mediocre stuff. For over four years he took up a key batting position and averaged less than 35. Edit: I’d happily view statistics based on runs scored in “live” matches with all others discounted. It would make fascinating reading. On a side note the Americans have studied the concept of clutch players in baseball and disproved it - I wonder if the same is true for chokers.
Pope Paul VII
Guest
True
dave
Guest
I predicted by the 3rd test we would have both marshes in the side plus Wade.So I was wrong in future I will only make predictions about wether its the 1st or 2nd test that we start hearing stories about the ugly Aussies.
Marshall
Guest
What about Jack Wildermuth? Guy has been killing it in the shield and is a genuine all rounder. Plays in the wrong state and doesn't have a famous last name I guess.
Johnb
Guest
Ordinarily I wouldn't but unlike some they're not infallible!
Jameswm
Guest
Pattinson would be the guy if fit. As good as our top bowlers and a potential 35-average test batsman. Could bat at 7. Marsh's equal at batting and obviously superior in bowling.
Jameswm
Guest
I'd still bring Moeen on as soon as Ussie came in, like Christo said.
Jameswm
Guest
I understand the logic for picking Marsh. I wouldn't do it though. It isn't a question of Maxi being hard done by. That never comes into it.