Australia selectors: Ashes door remains open for axed Marsh bros
Despite their brutal axings from Australia’s Test squad for the upcoming Sri Lanka series, selectors have refused to rule Shaun and Mitch Marsh out of this year’s Ashes tour. TAKE OUR POLL
Selectors have refused to close the door on the Marsh brothers for the Ashes following their brutal axing on Wednesday, but will now consider appointing another Test vice-captain.
Mitchell Marsh was named as one of two deputies for Tim Paine, but has only been picked for half the available matches since then and has now been dumped out of the squad altogether that will take on Sri Lanka later this month.
Josh Hazlewood will continue on as the sole vice-captain against Sri Lanka and beyond, but selectors will consider whether they appoint a new co-deputy to sit alongside him as part of the enhanced leadership model that had been endorsed to best assist new captain Paine.
As well as making the massive call to axe Mitchell Marsh, leaving them with no seam-bowling all-rounder against Sri Lanka, selectors have also made a bold statement in finally cutting enigmatic top order batsman Shaun Marsh.
It was hoped the elder brother would stand up alongside Usman Khawaja as the two senior batsmen with Steve Smith and David Warner suspended, but Shaun Marsh has instead averaged 18 in Test cricket over the past year.
However, despite his inconsistency at the top level selectors remain forever intrigued by Shaun’s ability to make big-time Test hundreds and he is not out of the Ashes mix aged 35.
“Shaun hasn’t, certainly, done what we’d like him to have done over the last period and I am sure he would say the same thing,” said National Selector, Trevor Hohns.
“As far as the Ashes go that’s a long way off. He now has the opportunity in one-day cricket to get some form back and we’ll worry about that when the time comes. But the door is certainly not closed.”
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Hohns insisted that Australia could not go on picking an all-rounder for the sake of it with Mitchell Marsh now averaging 25 from 31 Tests – even if that means finding a new co vice-captain.
“Yeah, we’ll need to address that there’s no doubt and by nominating the two vice-captains, by no means were we anointing who the next captain of Australia will be,” said Hohns.
“That will be an ongoing thing, we’ll review that in due course.
“There’s always talk about having an all-rounder in your side, particularly in different conditions of course.
“My only answer to that - is if the all-rounder isn’t performing and you don’t have a good all-rounder, well maybe we shouldn’t have one and go back to the stock standard six batsmen, four bowlers.
“But if you have a match-winning all-rounder, they’re like gold. If we can unearth one, that’d be fantastic.”
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