Ashes 2019: Why Mitch Marsh was recalled for The Oval

Travis Head is the man who makes way, but it wasn’t his form that led to his axing.

Mitchell Marsh has been recalled for the fifth Ashes Test. Picture: AP

The selection of Mitch Marsh is the signal of a belt-and-braces approach to the last Test of the Ashes that is instant bad news for Travis Head who makes way for the all rounder and a sign that Mitchell Starc is also likely to be dropped.

Marsh is in the side to allow the team to ask Pat Cummins to get through one more match. The fact he is right handed is an added bonus given that Stuart Broad is so destructive to left handed batsmen but has a significantly poorer record against their opposites.

You can’t possibly drop Peter Siddle and the selectors will also certainly back Siddle who took six wickets at The Oval in 2015. Marsh also took five in that game.

Head has an average of 42 after 12 Tests, but his technique has let him down in England and he spent a lot of time with Justin Langer yesterday discussing what he has to do in the future and why he was dropped.

Travis Head with Justin Langer. Picture: Getty Images

He is as much a victim of the need to preserve the bowlers as he is of his own poor form.

Warner has also been in trouble against Broad but has the buffer of 21 centuries and the reputation as a player who can win you a Test with one innings.

He has been noticeably more leg side of the ball in the nets this week.

Steve Smith returns to the ground where he scored his first Test century in 2013 and another in 2015. Warner made an underrated 85 in that same match — his highest score in England.

Tim Paine said Marsh was in the side to take the load off the seamers who have a quick turnaround between the fourth and fifth Test.

Cummins has bowled more overs (164.1) in the series than any seamer, with only Stuart Broad (148.1) close to a similar workload. Hazlewood (121) has bowled a lot of overs since coming into the second match.

Tim Paine was clear that Marsh’s recall was both giving support to the seamers first and his batting second.

“They’ve bowled a lot of overs and we feel that bringing Mitchell in will ease a little bit of the workload on them,” the Australian captain said.

“It was a really tough call on Travis Head, who’s had a great start to his Test career but we wanted a bit more bowling depth in the squad to cover what looks like a really good wicket and to be able to look after our big fast bowlers.

“Mitchell Marsh has also had a couple of hundreds in Test cricket so we’ve got full faith in him doing the job with the bat as well.”

Paine acknowledged it was tough on Head but there was a future for him in more conducive conditions.

Tim Paine. Picture: Getty Images

“The reason Travis isn’t playing is because we felt like we needed a little bit of extra bowling at the end of a long series,” Paine explained.

“Mitch Marsh is our allrounder and like we have with our bowlers, it’s not necessarily Travis being dropped,” he said.

“We’ve been really clear with Travis on why he’s not playing this game. He’s had a fantastic start (to his Test career), he’s played nine or 10 Tests and has got a very healthy average but we want to get the makeup right to win this Test match.

“Unfortunately we had to make a really tough call on someone and it happened to be Travis.

“He’s a huge part of Australian cricket future, he’s a gun young player and he’s getting better all the time.

“It’s disappointing for him he’s not playing in this Test match. He’d dearly love to, obviously, but we’ll go back to Australia, conditions will be different.

“There’s no doubt he’s in the top six or seven batsmen in our country.”

Australia made its changes from a position of strength while England is shuffling deck chairs, dropping Jason Roy and Craig Overton to bring in Sam Curran and Chris Woakes.

The moves are partly cover for Ben Stokes who may not bowl but also acknowledgment that Roy is not of Test standard and Overton not impressive when called up for the last Test.