When did the Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh make his Test debut? This might turn out to be a good trivia question, as even for a cricket nerd it is difficult to recall Marsh’s maiden Test match. The answer turns out to be the Dubai Test, against Pakistan, in 2014. In the very next Test held in Abu Dhabi, he even showcased some potential by cracking a stroke-filled 87.
Time flies. The clock has tick-tocked vigorously and 10 years have gone by since Marsh donned the Baggy Green in UAE. In the meantime, Marsh has played 45 Tests for his country, which in turn is a clear indicator that he has missed a fair number of games. The reasons for his absence range from injuries to being dropped from the set-up.
There was particularly a phase in 2018 and 2019 where Marsh seemed completely bereft of confidence, scoring only 170 runs over 15 innings. He was rightly left out of the Australian Test squad after the Oval Test, against England, in 2019. At that moment, there was even a feeling that Marsh won’t wear the white flannels for his country again. But Marsh was determined to bounce back.
Somewhere in July 2023, in another of those Ashes rubbers, Australia took the call of picking Marsh for the Leeds Test after Cameron Green was ruled out with a hamstring injury. Marsh certainly grabbed his opportunity with both hands, cracking an imposing 118-ball 118. On way to his hundred, he was dropped by Joe Root in the slip cordon and he made England pay for that costly mistake.
Some months later, he lifted Australia’s spirits, at the MCG, against Pakistan, after the hosts had found themselves in a precarious position at 16 for 4. His 96 turned out to be a game-breaking innings as Australia clinched the series. The backstory to that innings is around five years ago, he was booed by the MCG crowd. But those boos and groans had turned into a generous round of applause when he walked back to the pavilion after falling just four short of a hundred. By then, he had also composed a match-turning innings in a T20 World Cup final.
Unfortunately, a year later, Marsh’s Test career is back to square one. He has accumulated a solitary Test fifty over his last seven games. He has bowled only 40 overs in that period, which basically translates into less than 6 overs per Test. Marsh has also been laid low by a back problem in the recent past. Incidentally, Marsh has had a history of calf, ankle, back and hamstring issues. At 33, Marsh isn’t getting any younger either.
With the Australian selectors showing immense faith in their senior players, Marsh might just hold his place ahead of Beau Webster for the rest of the series versus India. In sport, you never say never, but it would take a brave man to bet against Green replacing Marsh as soon as the former recovers from a back injury.