Shane Watson Backs Mitchell Marsh To Come Good In Tests
Feb 9, 2017 at 1:02 PM
Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson has said Mitchell Marsh needs to find the right balance to make a strong comeback in Test format before reiterating he needs to trust his all-round ability to go a long way while playing for the national side.
“If he plays like that over in India and in Test cricket in general, he’ll have a really successful and long Test career,” Watson told The Unplayable Podcast.
The 25-year-old Marsh has been named in the 16-member Australia squad for India tour, which starts from February 23 in Pune.
“If he can find the balance between defence and attack, which he hasn’t really found so far, there’s no doubt it won’t be far away,” Watson said on Marsh.
Cricket Australia selectors Mark Waugh and Trevor Hohns Marsh earlier stated Marsh has been added in the squad to strengthen the bowling line-up.
The 35-year-old Watson, who played 59 Tests for Australia, said Marsh is just a knock away to confirm his place in longest format.
“Just one good innings under his belt could certainly really turn things around from a Test match point of view. He’s an incredibly talented young man; he provides a lot with the ball and with the bat he’s a very, very powerful striker of the ball,” Watson added.
The 25-year-old Marsh, who made his Test debut in 2014 against Pakistan at Dubai, was omitted from the Australian side last year.
“The biggest thing is to not get so down on myself. You’re wearing the Baggy Green and you want to do well all the time (but) as cliché as it sounds, I was literally living the dream for a couple of years playing Test cricket,” Marsh said.
The Perth-born Marsh has played 19 Tests for Australia, in which he has picked 29 wickets and scored 626 runs at an average of 23.18. He made his international debut in 2011.
“The biggest challenge is to be able to let that go and just go back to what your natural skill is. And for someone like Mitch Marsh, that’s just being aggressive and taking on the game and trusting your natural skills,” Watson remarked.
“When you start to not perform as well as you want to, you certainly start going into your shell and you start worrying about getting out, which I certainly had a number of times in my career,” Watson revealed.
Marsh has featured in 48 ODIs for Australia and has scored 1,242 runs at an average of 35.48.