Marsh: I have a Twitter account I haven’t looked at in four years
In an exclusive interview with Robert Craddock, Shaun Marsh opens up about his Test career, his relationship with his brother, and which fast bowlers he feared the most.
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Mild-mannered Shaun Marsh is Australia’s great cricket enigma.
His international career has been peaking and troughing for more than a decade, his best work exceptional but his struggles earning him the ire of fans who wanted more from his considerable talent.
Marsh, in England with Australia’s World Cup squad, opens up about his mixed emotions about his Test career, why he hasn’t looked at his Twitter account for four years, his favourite innings and his relationship with his brother Mitchell.
Where were you when your father coached Australia to victory in the 1999 World Cup in England?
We did not go over but we watched it on television vision very closely. It is a great memory and my fondest was just seeing them all on the balcony and dad in the middle being coach.
It’s interesting that in rugby league Ivan Cleary coaches his son Nathan but your father once joked to me that he couldn’t coach you and Mitchell because you wouldn’t listen. Was he right?
Yes and that probably hasn’t changed over the years (laughs). But I actually do have the occasionally hit with him and he has been a fantastic support for me and Mitchell but we have also had our run ins over the years as well.
Could you have been cricket’s version of the Clearys?
Well he has been in and around WA for the past five or six years as an assistant coach with Justin Langer and now with Adam Voges and it’s fine. I love having him around. He has a wealth of knowledge for the playing group and it is great to go to training every day and seeing him there. It’s good fun.
Do you feel you will play another Test?
It is highly unlikely now with the guys coming in and performing how they did against Sri Lanka. I had a crack at it. They gave me every opportunity to get it right over the last 12 months after the Ashes when I played really well. Unfortunately it did not work out my but the guys who came in did well and probably deserved a crack at the Ashes.
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Were you happy with your Test career?
It was a roller-coaster wasn’t it? There was a lot of good stuff in among a lot of bad stuff but I just did not manage to find that consistency the good players have. I just did not have that throughout my career. Look, I am still really proud of what I achieved. I played Tests for my country and played in some wonderful series wins. There were some lows there but some great highs I will cherish forever.
The interesting thing about you stats was that when you scored over 10 you averaged around 60 but you often fell below 10. Your thoughts?
It probably tells me I was a nervous starter. It was certainly not something I was thinking about when I went out to bat. I never thought “I need to get over 10 here and I am away.’ In Test cricket the best players find a way. I had a lot of fun. I have no regrets about my preparation. It is what it is.
Was it harder managing nerves later in your career?
It was tough work. Right throughout there was never a moment when it was easy. It’s Test cricket. It is not just the cricket but all the other external pressures that come with it.
What innings were you most proud of?
The 100 I made in South Africa in the first Test in 2014 was right up there but it is hard to go past the century (126 not out) in the Adelaide Test against England (in 2017) when I came back into the team. That was my most enjoyable innings in front of a packed out Adelaide Oval.
Was it a relief for you to make the World Cup squad because it was really tight wasn’t it?
Yes it was really tight. I was really keen for the opportunity and probably four years ago I thought it would not come around but it has. I am very excited.
Mitchell spoke about his acute pain at missing out. How deeply do you feel for the brother in these types of situations?
The announcement was bitter-sweet. He has been fantastic about it all and been very supportive of me getting into the team. It shows the character of him.
The two of you are such amiable fellows yet you certainly cop a lot from critics – myself included – and social media. What do you make of it?
I guess I am used to it now. It is something that is part of the business that I am in. I know when I am scoring runs people get behind me. When I am not scoring runs you open yourself up for criticism. I get that. I have learnt to deal with all the emotions and I tend to stay clear of social media these days. I don’t read anything. I get on with what I like to do and that is playing cricket and training hard. I don’t worry about the outside influences.
Are you on Twitter?
No. I actually have an account but I have not checked it for nearly four years. The only social media stuff I am on is Instagram and that is only because I like to put photos up of my family. I like to stay away from it.
Mitchell said he was out surfing recently and a fellow surfer urged him to score a few more runs. Have you had any of those moments?
Not really but you get the occasional person on the street who has a sly dig. You just get on with it. I have a great family and a great bunch of mates back home. I just try to get on with it and have fun. I know I am near the end now so I have to keep enjoying every opportunity I get and make the most of it.
Who was the best bowler you faced in Tests?
The South Africans were always very challenging. Dale Steyn was great and Morne Morkel when he was on was incredibly difficult to face.
The bond between you and Mitchell is interesting because you are 10 years apart, totally different characters, yet very close?
We are opposites. We are very close. he is a fantastic guy who genuinely cares for everyone he knows. He is certainly very boisterous. I am quieter and more sensitive in a way. We both connect really well. I have a lot of time for him he is a good person.
Sometimes it seems you and Mitchell go in and out of form together. Do you sense that?
I am not too sure. I have not thought of it that way before. We have had our ups and downs over the past 12 months and about the same time now. I don’t think it is a trend. I know Mitch will bounce back. he is training really hard and it is probably the best shape I have seen him in.
Shaun Marsh is an ambassador for Kayo, Australia’s multi-sport streaming service, which will have every match World Cup match live plus over 50 sports.
Originally published as Marsh: I have a Twitter account I haven’t looked at in four years
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