The Test career of Mitchell Marsh is teetering thanks to the outstanding Indian strike bowler Jasprith Bumrah. KEN PIESSE reports from the MCG.
Jasprith Bumrah’s delicious rearing leg cutter which caught the edge of Mitch Marsh’s bat at the MCG on Sunday afternoon could well end a career.
Australia’s reigning Allan Border has become a liability after yet another double failure in this engrossing MCG holiday Test.
Win, lose or draw here, the Australians must play their best, in-form XI in Sydney from Friday.
Marsh’s place has become untenable, as shown by his series batting average of 10 and bowling average of 47.
His fairytale run to the Test team in md-series in England in 2023 is now but a memory, his scores this summer: 6, 47, 9, 5, 2, 4 and 0.
The Tasmanian Beau Webster, 31, must be included in the starting XI, as a prelude to Sri Lanka and the New Year tour. He is a superior batsman and bowler and just as alert close to the wicket. I’d accord him immediate first slip status ahead of the veteran Usman Khawaja, maybe making his Sydney farewell.
Consideration should also be given to including the speedy West Australian Jhye Richardson in the squad as a cover for Mitchell Starc, who seems sore after a lengthy campaign. While the last of his two Tests were in 2021 and he has been injury-prone, he is pacier than Sean Abbott and impressed in his only red ball match of the season, a month back against Shield ladder leaders South Australia in Adelaide.
The incredible response to the see-sawing Test will see almost 350,000 attend the five days, the biggest since the 1954-55 Ashes Test when the Australians were ‘Typhooned’ by the English express Frank Tyson.
Tyson took seven for 27 to decimate a star-studded Australia as Len Hutton’s MCC tourists came from behind to win the Ashes.
Australia, too, lost the opening Test this summer, but has fought back superbly, despite the enduring presence of the wrecker Bumrah, who now has 29 wickets in four Tests, impressing as the most destructive visiting international bowler since NZ’s master seam bowler Richard Hadlee.
Three dropped catches by India’s Yashasvi Jaiswal could well cost the Indians the match. Instead of chasing 330-plus on the fifth day, the chase could well have been closer to a more attainable 250.
The record run chase at the MCG for a Test team batting fourth is Australia’s 2-231 against England a decade back.
After Saturday’s rains, 96 overs are available on Day 5, ensuring Australia two new balls. It is unclear if Starc will be able to bowl at his normal velocity… if at all.
KEN PIESSE has covered cricket and football for more than 30 years in Melbourne. Despite that setback, Ken has written, published and edited 86 books on cricket and AFL football to become Australian sport’s most prolific author.
His latest cricket book is his own memoir, Living the Dream, 60 years in cricket and football with Wilkinson Publishing, out now.
www.cricketbooks.com.au
Discussion about this post