Mitchell Marsh is at a point in his career where he should be focusing on a couple of formats at the most.
And they should be the white-ball ones, particularly if he is not going to be able to contribute with the ball in Tests.
Marsh sent down just two overs in Brisbane even though Josh Hazlewood was out of the attack with a calf injury. Yet again there are doubts about whether Marsh can handle the workload of being a true all-rounder after a string of injuries which have restricted his bowling to just a few overs here and there in all three formats.
Assistant coach Daniel Vettori said Marsh was not used at the Gabba because the rain delays had kept Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc fresh to bowl repeated spells.
But both bowlers were cooked by the end of the fourth day after shouldering a heavy workload and it is doubtful they would have been able to bowl Australia to victory in the fourth innings if the rain had stayed away.
If a proper all-rounder like Cameron Green had been available, he would have certainly been given at least one spell to see if he could conjure up a wicket or at the very least give the main duo a breather.
Marsh is a very good T20 and ODI player even if he’s not able to bowl but when it comes to Tests, the 33-year-old has shown over the course of 45 matches that with only three tons and just one five-wicket haul that he’s not quite up to the arduous task.
Damien Fleming in his always well written column for The Roar said that Josh Hazlewood should be shelving a format or two with his mounting injury concerns and Marsh, Starc and possibly Cummins should also be giving the idea serious consideration.
It is unlikely Marsh will be needed in the red-ball arena once Green is back to full fitness in 2025 and it would be a better option to pick a genuine all-rounder in Beau Webster ahead of him for the next two Tests against India.
The Australian selectors have abided by a policy of picking the best six batters for their line-up in recent times. On that basis alone, Marsh would struggle to get a start based on his form this series – averaging 13.8 from five knocks with four single-figure scores.
Mitchell Marsh. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images)
But he is far from the lone ranger on that front with Marnus Labuschagne (16.4), Nathan McSweeney (14.4) and Usman Khawaja (12.6) also putting up averages that read more like tailenders than specialist batters.
Travis Head has usurped Steve Smith as the clear kingpin of the batting line-up.
Alex Carey is probably the next most reliable batter in the land at the moment so elevating him to sixth with Webster at No.7 could be worth a shot.
That would leave Marsh, Labuschagne, Khawaja and McSweeney as the candidates for the other three spots in a “best six batters” scenario, up against the claims of NSW teenage prodigy Sam Konstas or reserve batter Josh Inglis.
The Australian batting line-up has not been this unsettled since 2018 in the match after the infamous Cape Town Test when Joe Burns, Matt Renshaw and Peter Handscomb were rushed into the team when Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were banned for the ball-tampering
With the selectors announcing the squad on Friday for the fourth Test, a shake-up is needed.
The panel members can come up with a rationale for any selection – sticking with the tried and true, we think he will come good, his form hasn’t been that bad. They trot these out all the time as a way of justifying their habit of defending struggling players rather than reinvigorating the team.
It is creating an atmosphere of mediocrity rather than accountability and Head and the bowlers can’t keep bailing their teammates out forever.
Rohit and miss Sharma should be dropped
Speaking of complacency at the selection table, India need to ask themselves why they think Rohit Sharma deserves to be in their team.
He was again all at sea with Cummins getting him out for 10 after he added just three and six to the touring team’s totals in Adelaide.
Cummins has his measure and will be bringing himself on whenever Sharma lumbers to the crease for the rest of this series as a sure-fire average booster.
Pat Cummins celebrates dismissing Rohit Sharma. (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
At 37, Sharma looks sluggish at the crease, like Inzamam-ul-haq at the end of his career, with minimal footwork and poses no real threat to the bowlers.
He has been out 13 times in his past seven Tests for the not so grand tally of 152 runs (52 of them coming in one knock against New Zealand) at a pathetic average of 11.69.
Bring in a spare day for wet weather
You can file this in the list of good ideas that the ICC wouldn’t contemplate but what would be the harm in having a reserve day at the end of each Test for wet weather.
If a significant amount of time was lost during the five scheduled days, let’s say at least two sessions, what would be the harm in having a provision that states a sixth day could be used to get a result.
A match like the third Test at the Gabba would get the thrilling finale that had been set up when play was abandoned on Wednesday’s final day.
Day one of the third Test between Australia and India saw heavy rain at the Gabba. (Photo by Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images)
Open the gates for free and the spectators would flood in. TV broadcasters would need some convincing because it would mean keeping their crews in a city for an extra 24 hours but the player workload excuse can’t be used because the players have already been given a light time of it over the previous five days.
Most series itineraries have a decent amount of time built in between Tests – there’s eight days between the Brisbane and Melbourne matches – so one less day’s break would not matter that much.
We keep hearing about players being under too much pressure with all the cricket that’s going on but they seem to keep backing up for most matches, dipping out of the occasional white-ball tour here and there when they need a rest.
And they all don’t mind adding a couple of months of matches to their annual grind when their name is up for the IPL auction.