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Opinion
Mitchell Marsh has been given only a brief taste of the T20 captaincy but the rejuvenated all-rounder is worth an extended run as a white-ball leader.
And if he goes well in the shortest format, he should get the one-day gig from Pat Cummins after the World Cup.
Chairman of selectors George Bailey said they would assess the leadership positions of the white-ball teams after the ODI showpiece event is run and done in India in November.
He indicated their preference was for there to be only two skippers across the formats but did not rule out a scenario where there could be one full-time captain for each of the three squads.
That would be lunacy.
All indications are that Pat Cummins will reinquish the one-day captaincy, and perhaps strip the 50-over format from his schedule altogether, after Australia’s Cup campaign.
His appointment for the ODI leadership was always seen as a short-term appointment after Aaron Finch’s retirement just under 12 months ago.
It makes little sense for one captain to have the Test team and one of the white-ball sides on their plate, particularly with the growing number of tours with only limited-overs fixtures, like Australia’s upcoming trip to South Africa.
They will take on the Proteas in three T20s with Marsh at the helm before switching to ODI mode before the World Cup with five games in South Africa before another three in India to warm up for the 10-team tournament.
Mitchell Marsh jumps for joy after Josh Hazelwood takes a wicket during the ICC U19 World Cup final in Lincoln, New Zealand in 2010. (Photo by Marty Melville/Getty Images)
Marsh has not captained regularly in state or franchise cricket but he has been seen as a future leader since he captained the Australian under 19 team to victory at the World Cup in New Zealand in 2010.
The 31-year-old has not only revived his international career at the Ashes recently with his superb century at Leeds but re-established himself in the white-ball squads as one of the most reliable power hitters in the upper order while also shrugging off his injury woes to provide handy overs with the ball.
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He is a fair chance to have a crack at leading the one-day side in South Africa with Cummins unlikely to be fit for the first few games due to the wrist injury he suffered while fielding in the fifth Ashes Test.
Alex Carey and Steve Smith could also fill in but this rotational leadership can’t be anything more than a temporary fix. The Aussies employed way too much captaining by committee in the field during the Ashes.
Marsh’s rise to the leading candidate to become the white-ball skipper is a sudden u-turn from a player who said he was not interested in the gig late last year when Finch’s international career was petering out.
Bailey said in his media conference after announcing the new-look white-ball squads that Marsh was being typically modest when the all-rounder had said “probably not, to be honest” when asked if he saw himself following in Finch’s footsteps.
The selectors have had more than 10 months since Australia last played a T20 match to mull over who should succeed Finch as captain.
And after all that time, the fact that they still don’t have a definitive answer is on brand for a panel which has struggled to be decisive when it comes to major decisions.
Aaron Hardie. (Photo by Will Russell – CA/Cricket Australia via Getty Images)
If Marsh does get a turn as ODI skipper he will carve out a nice little slice of history, becoming the first son of a former captain to hold the role after his father Geoff filled in four times during his time as Allan Border’s deputy in the late 1980s.
Marsh’s likely elevation to future white-ball leader is a precursor to a rise in WA influence on the national sides in the coming years.
The NSW flavour which has been dominant for many years is dwindling with Cummins the youngest of the Blues’ mainstays at 30 and David Warner, Steve Smith, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood entering the final phase of their storied careers.
Aaron Hardie has been selected to make his international debut in both the T20 and one-day sides.
With Marsh and Cameron Green already ensconced in all three formats, the Sandgropers arguably have the three best all-rounders in the country and Bailey said Hardie was knocking on the door for all three formats.
Ashton Turner was unlucky not to make either squad while Lance Morris and Jhye Richardson should be the backbone of the next fast bowling cartel in the post Cummins-Starc-Hazlewood era.
Josh Inglis is getting a chance to become the long-term T20 keeper in South Africa although Bailey said Matthew Wade was likely to return to the side for the cash grab/three-match series in India after the World Cup.
Jason Behrendorff is already in the T20 squad, Ashton Agar is a white-ball stalwart, Cameron Bancroft is a chance to regain his Test spot after David Warner’s imminent departure and young batter Teague Wyllie is seen as a future baggy green prospect.
So there will be a heavy WA feel at national level in the coming years which is just reward for their dominance in winning a triple double of back-to-back Sheffield Shield, Marsh Cup and BBL crowns.
Agar and Adam Zampa are certain to be Australia’s spinners at the World Cup but if either of those players loses form or gets injured, the selectors’ roll of the dice on NSW leggie Tanveer Sangha’s potential for the South Africa tour could be costly just a few weeks out from the tournament.
Western Australia celebrate after winning the Sheffield Shield Final. (Photo by Paul Kane/Getty Images)
Sangha’s selection is curious to say the least.
He has played only three domestic one-dayers for NSW, taking five wickets, largely from one impressive haul of 4-21 against Victoria, but was carted for 2-138 at seven an over in two Australia A matches against Sri Lanka last year.
And he missed the entire 2022-23 season after being diagnosed with a stress fracture in his back.
Queensland left-armer Matt Kuhnemann can feel hard done by – he was given a chance at ODI level on Sri Lanka’s turning wickets last year and acquitted himself well for a first taste of international cricket with six wickets from four outings at 31.83, going for 5.02 runs an over.
He’s also had a taste of Indian surfaces after making the most of his unexpected chances as a mid-series call-up during the Border-Gavaskar Trophy earlier this year.
Todd Murphy has also shown in the BBL and Marsh Cup tournaments that he is by no means a red-ball specialist and deserves a crack at the limited-overs squads sometime in the near future.