Time for Marsh to show his maturity

MITCHELL Marsh’s birthday last week was a significant moment – he is now older than his Test batting average.

And when you are batting in the top six for Australia that can spell just one word: trouble.

Marsh turned 25 while his batting average after 18 Tests is a painfully low 24.

They say you can make what you like out of statistics in cricket but those two numbers are revealing. Let’s start with his age. If you asked cricket fans to guess most would have said he was younger than 25.

Maybe it’s because he is Shaun’s little brother or maybe it’s his naturally boyish way but we still talk about Marsh as if he is a University freshman.

Ages are often irrelevant in cricket but turning 25 is a significant moment because, for cricketers, it is the unofficial start of middle age.

Marsh is not a boy any more. He is a man. He should be in his prime. It is seven years since he played his initial firstclass game.

Words traditionally used to describe him such as promising and high-potentialled just don’t quite cut it any more.

The future is now. He must deliver as a batsman this series against South Africa or face the axe.

His lively medium pacers are paying their way but he is yet to prove his batting has the subtlety, flexibility and foot movement to cope on days when bowlers are kings.

As a popular young man and a naturally exuberant character who is much liked by his teammates, Marsh is being willed on as much as any Australian player of his age.

But one thing is for sure, a Test batting average of 24 is unsustainable for a top-six batsman.

You’d be lucky to last for Bangladesh never mind Australia. No one has ever done it.

And it creates tremors down the order.

Selection chairman Rod Marsh may not have been forced to make the bewildering statement that fast bowler Joe Mennie was preferred to Jackson Bird because of his batting if he had a No.6 averaging 50.

“He needs to bowl and bat well, Mitch, he really does,’’ Marsh said.

“Unfortunately in the Shield game (against South Australia) he did neither. He got a century in his last Test and he has been batting beautifully. That’s the thing that’s really annoying at the moment about Mitch.

“He’s hitting the ball as well as anyone when he’s batting for Australia. He needs to get a Test hundred Mitch I reckon.’’

Post haste.