Marsh on target for Pakistan
MITCH Marsh is confident he will recover from ankle surgery in time to captain Australia A in India, but Glenn Maxwell has been denied a valuable Test audition.
The two four-day matches in September will serve as a subcontinent warm-up for Australia’s Test series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
Marsh had surgery last month to clean out bone spurs on his left ankle following the doomed tour of South Africa.
“I’m a couple of weeks away from running at the moment,” he said in Perth.
“If all things go to plan, I’ll play the two four-day games in India . . . hopefully (bowl) a couple of overs and then I’ll just build in towards the Pakistan series.”
Marsh has been floated as a likely national vice-captain following the sacking of Steve Smith and David Warner.
The West Australian skipper insisted he had given little thought to the opportunity, instead focusing on recovering from his latest injury setback.
While Test captain Tim Paine and fellow veteran Shaun Marsh will sit out the India tour, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb and Matt Renshaw have been given the chance to stake their claims for selection in the Pakistan series. But there was no joy for Maxwell, who was overlooked, along with Queensland opener Joe Burns.
Each of Maxwell’s seven career Tests have been played in the subcontinent, and the mercurial allrounder had circled the Australia A series as a chance to bolster his red-ball credentials.
Travis Head has been named in the four-day squad and will also skipper Australia A’s one-day squad in India.
The tour begins with a oneday tri-series also involving South Africa A, with the first match against India A on August 17.
Only two of the 28 players selected, Queensland duo Brendan Doggett and Marnus Labuschagne, are yet to feature for either Australia or Australia A.
“It’s an extremely important tour, as we look for players who can adapt and find ways to excel in subcontinent conditions,” selector Trevor Hohns said.
“With Australia’s series against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates fast approaching, it’s a chance for some players to push for selection.”