A side strain to all-rounder Marcus Stoinis means he likely will be replaced by Shaun Marsh today against Pakistan and quite possibly by Mitch Marsh for the remainder of this World Cup.
Mitch Marsh has been flown to England as a standby to join Australia’s 15-man squad due to Stoinis’ side strain, an injury which typically requires weeks of recovery, and cannot just be played through like some other ailments.
Stoinis reportedly has already been ruled out of today’s game, with Australia set to soon make a call on whether to remove him from their World Cup squad and replace him with Mitch Marsh.
Australia have four back-up players in their squad but three of them are bowlers – spinner Nathan Lyon, and quicks Jason Behrendorff and Kane Richardson – so it looks like Shaun Marsh will take Stoinis’ spot today.
With all due respect to Stoinis – no one likes to see a player get injured at any time, let alone during such an important tournament – he has been the weakest link in the Australian lineup for some time now. The inclusion of Shaun Marsh in his place will greatly strengthen Australia’s batting unit.
Over the past 12 months in ODIs, Stoinis has averaged just 23 at a strike rate of 81, whereas in that same period Marsh has averaged 53 at a strike rate of 92, including four centuries. The left hander also has a fantastic record in England, scoring 372 runs at 46, with a strike rate of 99, including two tons.
Marsh was comfortably Australia’s best batsman in their five-match series in England last year and was unlucky to be squeezed out of their starting XI for the first three matches of this World Cup.
Shaun Marsh is a different man in the canary yellow. (AFP/Ian Macnicol)
He looks likely to bat at five today, which is lower than the West Australian is used to. But Marsh has proven to be a versatile batsman across his impressive 71-match career.
He has averaged 39 as an opener, 45 at first drop, 48 at number four, and 43 in the seven matches where he’s batted between five and seven in the order.
Marsh’s proficiency against spin in white-ball cricket makes him an attractive middle order option against a Pakistan team expected to field three solid spin options.
What that means is Australia will have just one all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell, and may need to get ten overs out of the off-spinner. That would be a major task for the Victorian, who hasn’t had a heavy bowling workload since the last World Cup, during which he played as Australia’s lead spinner.
If he can rise to this challenge it would allow Australia to maintain a beefed-up top six, featuring five specialist batsmen in future matches.
Alternatively, Australia bring in Mitch Marsh.
At his best, Mitch Marsh is a fantastic 50-over player. While their batting numbers in ODIs are similar, Marsh is a far more accomplished bowler than Stoinis, which could be crucial for Australia, who have relied too heavily on spearheads Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc in this tournament.
Mitch Marsh (Photo: AAP images).
Marsh has also earned a reputation as an impact player, having won six man of the match awards in his 53-match career.
By comparison, star batsman Steve Smith has won seven such awards from double the number of ODIs, while Stoinis has just one award from 36 matches – that coming in his second game when he clobbered 146* against New Zealand.
The issue with Marsh, however, is that he has not played a 50-over game at any level for almost 18 months. His last competitive match in any format was 12 weeks ago, when he cracked a ton in Western Australia’s final game of the Sheffield Shield season.
Marsh wouldn’t be coming into the World Cup completely cold, though. He has just been training with the Australia A squad in Brisbane in preparation for their 50-over matches in England, which start in eight days from now.
A fit and firing Marsh would undoubtedly strengthen the Australian team, and improve balance with both bat and ball. But with no form line to consider, it is hard to know whether he could quickly adapt to the high standard and pressure of a World Cup.
What is clearer is that his older brother will surely get a chance to press his case against Pakistan today as the replacement for the injured Stoinis.
JamesH
Roar Guru
You could have Maxwell 5 and Carey 6, or even swap them around. But either way we'd need our top four to bat conservatively to ensure the tail isn't exposed too early, which makes it tough to notch up 300+ scores. To be clear I'm not advocating a five bowler approach. That weakens our batting too much, regardless of who we pick. I just think that this article needed to at least touch on the option for the sake of completeness.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
If you are going to play Carey at 6 then the batting lineup has to be Finch, Warner, Khawaja, Smith , Shaun Marsh and Carey. Bowling, Cummins, Starc, Behrendorf and then who? NCN doesn't have the form as a bowler to play, Richardson leaks runs. All that's left are Maxwell, Lyon and Zampa and to be fair Maxwell has to play but he needs to play at 6 so that pits paid to Carey at 6 unless you drop a batman and play Carey at 5.
JamesH
Roar Guru
And? A couple of poor shots means he shouldn't be in the side? Everything he's done prior to the Cup goes out the door? I'm sorry but any argument that Maxwell shouldn't be in the side (and apparently that we don't need someone in the top 7 who can bowl???) just can't be taken seriously.
Cadfael
Roar Guru
20, 28 and 0. Two of those innings were were finished by absolutely woeful shots. His last innings would have been good if they were in the last 3 or 4 overs but not with 20 to go. His bowling hasn't been that much better either. Great in the field though.
satz
Roar Rookie
Seriously Hazelwood would make a huge difference to the winning chances. Sides that focus on specialists will be rewarded with the winner's prize more than allrounders. Can't believe the Australain selectors can't see the obvious. Unless Zampa or Lyon can fire (and only some pitches will favor them mind you), the bowling can be taken to the cleaners.
JamesH
Roar Guru
What do you mean ‘because there is no one else’? Surely you aren’t suggesting Maxwell shouldn’t be in the side? Aside from the fact he’s one of our most crucial batsman we need a minimum of five bowlers capable of bowling 10 overs!
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Forgiveness, redemption and the come-back against all odds, the ultimate romance of life dramas made for the big screen…
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Oooooh yeahhh.. Khawaja #1 on a roll
DP Schaefer
Roar Rookie
Bush, a lot depends on the quality of the ganja supplied for the nights deliberations.. unfortunately some nights you’ll listen in and still be none the wiser.
Simoc
Guest
Well politically speaking I think the fitness coaches should rule out our weakest link (Stoinus). He's another Cameron White. Flops on the biggest stage.
The Bush
Roar Guru
It’s baffling Nudge how the selectors operate. I wouldn’t have Marsh anywhere near the test side, but I think he’s a valuable ODI cricketer. I’d have been playing him plenty unless injured. Both he and his brother have perplexingly been left out of the ODI side frequently, despite both deserving longer goes, whilst they’ve been flung into the Test side when neither are up to it. It would be truly fascinating to hear the actual thought processes these guys go through.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
What you do have to remember with those averages though, is that with most of those innings, and you can include Starc and Cummins as well, is that they have probably come in really late in the innings and gone the tonk from ball one or two. Cummins in particular is a guy that needs to face some balls before he starts getting expansive. If Australia did go with 5 recognised bowlers and we did get into some trouble, let’s say 5 for 150 off 30, would they be capable of coming out and scoring 25 off 40 balls. I’d be really comfortable that they could particularly Cummins
AREH
Roar Guru
That's for sure. He is the right mix of all-rounder glamour, notable past highlights in the shorter forms - mainly BBL - and an underwhelming FC record to throw him into test consideration.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
I think where the selectors got it wrong is when they backed in Stoinis for the no 6 all rounders role 4 months ago. I’m not here to say to anyone “ I told you so” but I was a bit mystified, along with others, why Stoinis was selected over M. Marsh for the Indian tour. I was more than happy if they took both. M. Marsh is a lot better white ball cricketer than Stoinis. Stoinis’s first 10 one dayers for Australia have now carried him for 2 years. I’m pretty convinced that the reason Mitch Marsh was basically ruled out of the World Cup back in January was because they wanted to give him every chance to play in the ashes. If they didn’t include him for the tour of India they knew he would get the last 4 or 5 shield games in. As it turned out, Marsh was terrible in those shield games and now we are left with our only option being a guy who hasn’t played an international one day match in 18 months. It is what it is though, and I’d be getting him in the starting 11 as soon as he is over there.
Nudge
Roar Rookie
Pattinson is a pretty ordinary white ball bowler though, and I think he knows it. If he was good with the white ball in hand I think he would have given up on red ball cricket after his third back stress fracture.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
True Chris. Annoyingly, against India he got out trying to up the RR after Warner crawled and Smith started blocking. I think that's an even better reason to put him back up the order. I think Smith needs to be our #4, Warner @ 3
Steele
Guest
No massive needs for concern thus far, the loss to India wasn’t horrible. Two obvious weaknesses:) a poor number 6 and a poor third seamer. Shaun’s batting solves the lack of runs from Stoinis but then we are down a bowling option. Which leads me to the unavoidable conclusion that Pattinson would have been perfect in the scenario of not playing an all rounder(other than Maxy). Better bowler than NCN and comparable with the blade. The other option of mine would be to replace Stoinis with Mitch Marsh, which is also a plus of sorts as he can’t do much worse. Then I would have Hazlewood as the third seamer. The first scenario is strengthening the batting while the latter is a stronger bowling line up. Both superior options to the teams we trotted out so far.
Bunney
Roar Rookie
Good call on the "part-time keeper" rage. I disagree about Handscombe's batting though. He's not a power-hitter per se, but he can clear the rope. I was very surprised he got a run initially, but he proved a great selection. His form in the 15-odd ODI's in the lead-up to selection of WC squad was excellent, with lots of runs and one of the highest SR's. I think he would def take pressure off Maxy as our designated hitter
Bunney
Roar Rookie
TBH Rellum, I haven't seen enough of either to definitively make my own (amateur) judgement, so I'm happy to go with the broad agreement that Carey is better. There are, of course, no guarantees that Handscombe would have taken the Pandya chance, but it was rightly described by the commentator as 'regulation'. Not a sitter, but not difficult and should have been pouched every single time. The second chance I refer to was full stretch above his head and was difficult - in my opinion, the type of chance really good keepers take to distinguish themselves from average keepers. I wouldn't expect Handscombe to take the tough chance, but he likely would have gobbled up the Pandya edge. That Carey didn't take the tough chance suggests (to me at least) that he's probably not a really great keeper. I prefer specialists, so I'm not against Carey representing us, but I thought, and still think it was folly to not include Handscombe in the squad. I would have selected him in place of Kane Richo, who looks unlikely to get a game ATM. Now that our only all-rounder in the squad is injured, Handscombe would be a horses-for-courses selection so we could bolster our bowling line-up with 5 specialists
Gee
Roar Rookie
Mitch a straight swap for Stoinis longer term but no clue about what will happen against Pakistan. What is more risky, having Coulter-Nile, Cummings, Starc, Zampa and Barendorf/Richardson/Lyon batting 7-11 or trying to get 30 overs out of Coulter-Nile, Zampa, Maxwell, Finch and Smith? Both options (and the form of Stoinis) show the stupidity of not having Mitch Marsh in the squad from the beginning.