McDonald has no concerns about Mitch Marsh despite poor run with the bat and lack of overs with the ball in the series.
McDonald has no issues with Mitchc Marsh despite questions surrounding his place in the playing 11.
Despite a weak batting series, Mitchell Marsh has a decent chance of retaining his spot for the final Test match against India in Sydney. His lack of overs is still to the format of the matches than any fitness concerns.
Beau Webster, an uncapped Tasmanian all-rounder, and backup fast bowlers Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott are included in the team in case Mitchell Starc’s back injury at the MCG prevents him from recovering or if the selectors make additional alterations.
Both captain Pat Cummins and coach Andrew McDonald acknowledged that Starc was bowling through pain and carrying a problem, but they thought he should be allowed to play in Sydney.
However, Australia’s fifth bowler, Marsh, has not contributed much throughout the series due to Starc’s problem and his workload with Cummins. With the exception of the short second innings in Brisbane, he has bowled just 33 overs in seven innings during the series. Since taking 2 for 12 in the opening innings, he has amassed stats of 1 for 127 from his last 28 overs.
“No, there’s no concern,” McDonald said after the memorable victory at the MCG. “And I think people have probably been reading too much into that. We haven’t required him with the ball as often as what we would have thought. He bowled again today. His speeds are up in the high 120s [kph]. There are no injury concerns there.
“I think to sort of head that down that angle is a little bit unfair. We just haven’t required him at certain times for whatever reason, so that’s more a tactical implementation, as opposed to a body. I think the amount of overs that we’ve bowling across the series is probably going to be to a benefit to us.
“Across the entirety of the series, it’s been relatively light, so I’d expect both attacks to be in decent shape to be able to press [in the final Test]. So does that mean you need a fifth bowler? I think you still need a fifth bowler. But are you going to put a huge demand on the fifth bowler, potentially not.”
But Marsh’s meagre contributions have made his poor batting performance more worse. With game-winning half-centuries in four of Australia’s six series victories over Pakistan, the West Indies, and New Zealand last season, the defending Allan Border Medallist was the country’s top Test hitter.
However, he has only managed to score 73 runs at 10.42 in this series, 47 of which came in Perth’s second innings after the game was long over. Prior to being dropped for the fourth Test, Nathan McSweeney hit 72 at 14.40.
Despite the poor series and a history of self-doubt, McDonald believed Marsh was in a good frame of mind.
“Would he like better performances? There’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Over four Test matches, he hasn’t been able to deliver at the level that he would like and we would like, but yeah he’s up and about. We just won a Test match. He’s in a pretty good headspace.”