Few runs may cost Marsh

OF the many conundrums confronting national selectors, what to do with Shaun Marsh looms as perhaps the most challenging.

Marsh has reclaimed his title as the whipping boy of Australian cricket, producing scores of seven, zero, three and four during the Test series in the UAE.

It has led to calls for the 35year-old to be axed for the final time in a stop-start international career, which appeared to be over before last year’s Ashes call-up.

The silent minority point to Marsh’s previous summer in Australia, when he struck career-best form, a man-of-thematch century that delivered Australia a 2-0 series lead, and more Ashes runs than any batsman bar Steve Smith.

Whether the left-hander can recreate that form in the four-Test series against India that starts on December 6 is the question Trevor Hohns’ panel will wrestle with.

Test vice-captain Josh Hazlewood has backed Marsh to return to his best, suggesting the veteran’s experience will be required this summer.

“It’s a shame he didn’t get going on this tour but I think he’ll definitely get a chance in Australia,” Hazlewood said.

The cramped schedule adds a degree of complexity to the conversation between Hohns and coach Justin Langer, who lobbied for Marsh’s Test callup while coaching Western Australia last year.

Marsh is the form batsman in Australia’s ODI side, posting two centuries during a 5-0 series loss in England this year.

But playing the ODI series against South Africa next month will come at the cost of valuable red-ball practice with WA’s Sheffield Shield team.

“They’re going to have to weigh that up with a lot of different players and make some decisions,” Hazlewood said.

“You always want to play for Australia but sometimes it might be a case where a batter has to play some Shield games, put some runs on the board and prepare the best they can for a big Test series.”

Langer knows what makes Marsh tick better than almost anyone. The former Test opener watched the son of Geoff tear around the Australian dressing room as a young child, briefly called him a teammate at WA then helped reignite a career at the crossroads.

“JL has certainly helped me on the field as well. He’s played a significant role in my career,” Shaun Marsh said last summer.

Matthew Renshaw, overlooked throughout the Test series in the UAE, headlines the list of contenders to take Marsh’s spot in the XI.