If Mitch Marsh is not dropped it shows selectors haven’t learnt their David Warner lesson

Australia’s Test squad is set for a mass exodus and the major lesson from David Warner’s farewell has been forgotten.

COMMENT

Australian selectors appear more likely than not to keep faith in Mitch Marsh ahead of the fifth Test against India, despite the all-rounder struggling to find form.

Marsh is averaging 10.42 with the bat and 46.33 with the ball for the series – where he has bowled just 16 wicketless overs across the last three Tests on the back of 17 in game one in Perth.

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But despite mounting calls for selectors to swing the axe, Australian coach Andrew McDonald played down suggestions the 33-year-old’s spot in the side is under threat and rejected claims the all-rounder’s limited bowling workload in the last three Tests was to do with a lingering injury.

“There’s no concern. And I think people have probably been reading too much into that (his limited bowling workload),” McDonald said.

“We haven’t required him with the ball as often as what we would have thought.

“He bowled again (on day five). His speeds were up in the high 120s, there are no injury concerns there.

“So I think to sort of head down that angle is a little bit unfair.

“We just haven’t required him at certain times for whatever reason. So that’s more a tactical implementation, as opposed to a body.”

McDonald said Marsh’s form is far from ideal, but played down talks he could be axed from the Test team.

“He’s in a good space,” McDonald added. “Would he like better performances? There’s no doubt about that. Over four Test matches, he hasn’t been able to deliver at the level he would like and we would like. But yeah, I mean, he’s up and about.”

Mitchell Marsh is expected to hang onto his spot for the fifth Test. (Photo by William WEST / AFP)

But the reality is Marsh is 33 and badly out of form and he isn’t the only one who should be on the chopping block despite Australia being on the verge of a historic series win over India.

Last year when David Warner finally made the call to retire it was seen as about time rather than a catastrophic loss for the side as fans had been urging selectors to drop him for years.

But the problem didn’t lie with the player rather the fact there was a massive missed opportunity to freshen up the team and give squad members some time out in the middle.

By hanging onto his opener spot for arguably a summer or two too long, it meant other players didn’t get their chance to shine on the international stage and left selectors with a serious headache when he pulled the pin.

In particular, the series against the West Indies was a perfect time to blood young talent that had impressed at the Sheffield Shield level but instead, Warner got his heroes farewell.

When he left, Cameron Bancroft, Marcus Harris and Matt Renshaw were all considerations for Warner’s vacant position despite them all being over 30, all of whom failed in the international arena.

David Warner announced his retirement from international cricket in January. Picture: Richard Dobson

Even still in the end selectors went with Steve Smith at the top of the order.

When that experiment failed, Smith was returned to No. 4 and selectors went with Nathan McSweeney, who had never opened the batting in his professional career.

And despite him struggling to survive Jasprit Bumrah – who is widely considered the best bowler in the world – after just three Tests he was dropped.

The perplexing part about his axing is that the likes of Labushagne and Usman Khawaja had performed as bad if not worse than him but they retained their spot.

And it shows Australia has failed to learn from the Warner situation, where loyalty to players that have proved themselves in the past is put above the future of the team.

Such is the ‘boys club’ in the Australian Test side that in each game against India, there has been just one player under 30 – McSweeney or Konstas.

But this is far from an irregularity in recent years, with just five men born between 1994 and 1998 having received their baggy green.

And that fact is sure to come back to bite when the Aussie veterans all call time on their illustrious careers in the coming years.

Even when gaps have arisen due to injury, instead of turning to youth, selectors have gone with the likes of Scott Boland and Michael Neser.

And when players are out of form, they stay, as seen with Khawaja, Warner, Labuschagne, Smith and now Marsh.

Mitch Marsh is averaging just 10.42 with the bat and 46.33 with the ball for the series (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

While Australia may wrap up a monumental series win over India this summer, it appears unlikely most of the current crop will still be around by the 2027 Ashes series.

This means the Aussie players that head to the UK could be in for a bloodbath which they are not to blamed for.

History has shown new squads, especially at Test level, are in for a rough patch before the good times roll again, highlighting the absolute key that is squad management and blooding youngsters, a reality Cricket Australia has neglected in recent years and has failed to learn from the Warner situation.

It was perfectly illustrated when following a Test victory over Pakistan in 1984, Greg Chappell, Dennis Lillee and Rod Marsh all called time on their careers.

Following that upheaval, Australia took nine series and almost four years to taste success again.

It was then repeated in 2007 when Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath and Justin Langer all rode off into the sunset after the first Ashes whitewash in 86 years.

Over the next decade, Australia struggled to have any sustained success and the era was underpinned by a losing three straight Ashes series to Australia’s old foe England.

So while the latest stars and stalwarts do deserve a heroes send-off, it is time Australia makes some tough calls, starting with Marsh.

Originally published as If Mitch Marsh is not dropped it shows selectors haven’t learnt their David Warner lesson