Published: Jul 29, 2015, 07:00 AM (IST)
Edited: Jul 29, 2015, 05:12 AM (IST)
While Australia are brave to persist with Peter Nevill for the third Ashes 2015 Test at Edgbaston in place of Brad Haddin, they must not miss a golden opportunity to draft in a batsman in red-hot form. Shaun Marsh has presented a strong case for selection over a few misfiring lower middle-order Australian batsmen. Devarchit Varma explains why Shaun Marsh’s inclusion will be crucial for Australia going into the third Test.
Brad Haddin is now just two Tests away from retirement. Haddin has been a wonderful servant to Australia in the past few years wherein they at least did not have to fret much over a wicketkeeper-batsman as much as they had to in other departments. Haddin has provided them stability, assurance and lot of freedom to play around with their team composition. Haddin remained a team man, often carrying out the hard-nosed — at times going overboard — brand of cricket that Australians like to play and copped lot of criticism as well. Where have all the batsmen gone?
Unfortunately, poor form with bat struck at wrong time, and it combined with the illness of his daughter Mia. Haddin had to pull out of action at Lord’s during a series as important as Ashes 2015. Of course, all sympathies will be with Haddin but the team touring England is there to do a job. Australia will have to stick to the policy of selecting playing elevens that they think will win matches, and it is indeed a right call to persist with Nevill, who had a brilliant debut at Lord’s with a crucial innings and seven catches. Michael Clarke’s lack of runs dangerous for Australia
However, the decision to give yet another chance to a member of the ‘Dad’s Army’, Adam Voges, may not look right. He may have had an excellent couple of months, scoring heaps of runs in the Australian domestic circuit and scored a hundred on Test debut; but in England, he has cut a sorry figure. Voges has not scored even one half-century on the tour, and certainly the assurance that he brought at the crease on tour of the West Indies is not there anymore. England need Adil Rashid & Moeen Ali to emulate Graeme Swann’s success at home
At the same time, on the fringes, there is a young man who is crying out loud for being given chances before he gets injured again. That has been the unfortunate story of Shaun Marsh — a brilliant left-hander who has spent a lot of time away from cricket field nursing injuries. Shaun is match-fit, looks ready for action and has shown hunger for runs yet again. He did not get enough runs — as many as Australia might have expected from him in the West Indies in the two Tests — but in England he has got two centuries in the two warm-up games. Mitchell Johnson will need to prove that Lord’s was no flash in the pan
Australia’s tactics with Shaun Marsh is certainly questionable. If they ignore a batsman in top form, it would be daft. There is no hurry with Voges. By the look of it he seems to have enough cricket left in him, but with players who have their careers plagued with injuries, it is important to be wise. Shaun is talented, is in form, and is fully fit at the moment. He certainly demands a nod ahead of Voges, especially when the lower order has not done enough in Australia’s cause. The No.3 Conundrum for England
(Devarchit Varma is a reporter with CricketCountry. He can be followed on Twitter @Devarchit)
