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Mitchell Marsh’s flaws as a Test batsman were glaring during his first six stints in the Test team. In the past fortnight, however, we have seen two innings from the all-rounder which are vastly different and greatly impressive.
Marsh’s stonewalling effort of 29 not out from 166 balls yesterday, played against the grain of his aggressive nature, was almost as surprising as his commanding 181 in his Test return at Perth.
The 26-year-old has played some scintillating knocks in ODI cricket over his brief career – 102 not out from 84 balls against India, 86 not out from 52 balls against South Africa, 76 not out from 40 balls against New Zealand and 64 from 31 balls against England.
It seemed to me like a matter of time before Marsh would encounter a struggling Test attack on a road of a pitch and hammer a sprightly ton. Admittedly the size and quality of his hundred in the third Test caught me entirely off guard.
But I had seen him play dominant innings before across all formats, whereas despite being a Western Australia fan who has watched Marsh closely since he was 17 years old, yesterday’s knock was something new – and not just new to my eyes but new to Marsh himself. Across his 130 first-class innings, never before had Marsh batted for at least 100 balls while scoring at a strike rate of 30 or lower.
(Philip Brown/Getty Images)
Quite frankly, Marsh had neither the temperament nor the organised defence required to graft in this manner. Even as he sprinted to 181 from just 236 balls in Perth there were signs of improved patience. Once he got well set on that belter of a WACA pitch Marsh must have been tempted to tee off and start launching sixes. I kept waiting for this moment, yet it never came.
Recognising he was already scoring at a very brisk rate with minimal risk, Marsh kept his head. It was an innings as mature as it was destructive. Then yesterday Marsh batted in a manner which could scarcely have been more different. From the start of his innings it was clear that batting time was his priority. Runs were only a bonus.
Batting at the other end, his skipper, Steve Smith, must have been delighted with Marsh’s circumspection. Smith has made it clear he prefers to have a fifth bowling option in his team. Marsh has looked rusty with the ball, as is to be expected given his lack of bowling this year, but on the evidence so far he has made enormous improvements in his batting.
As I wrote for The Roar recently, Marsh returned to Tests with a tighter defensive technique and looser, less robotic movements. Of course Marsh’s true challenge is coming up in March and April when Australia play four Tests in South Africa against a phenomenal Proteas attack.
That series will give us a much clearer picture of just how much Marsh has developed as a long-form batsman. There is no such doubt about Smith’s standing as a Test cricketer. His century hoarding has become almost monotonous.
(Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)
His 102 not out at the MCG lifted his series haul to an astonishing 604 runs at an average of 151. Smith finishes 2017 as easily the world’s leading Test runscorer, with 1305 runs at 77, including six tons from 11 matches. His career average is now a jaw-dropping 63.55.
All it will take for him to lift that average to 65 is for Smith to score 136 not out in the first innings of the fifth Test. Right now such a task would appear elementary for the Australian. His ability to adapt to a match situation is unparalleled in world cricket. When required, Smith is well capable of scoring quickly, as evidenced by his career strike rate of 56, yet he’s equally at ease sapping the will of the opposition by batting with bloody-minded caution.
This latter approach is the one Smith favoured in the second innings of this Test. He decided England would not win the Test, and so it was as he batted for almost eight hours. Smith’s batting truly is otherworldly – his patience is saintly and his talent is godly.
What’s even more remarkable is that at 28 years old Smith has only just entered what have been the peak years for many great Test batsmen – ages 28 to 32. It’s entirely possible he will be better in 2018 and then go to another level yet again the following year.
Australia can only hope that Mitch Marsh too can follow such a pleasing trajectory. Having invested so much time in his development, they are finally reaping some rewards.