(Sportsmax) Australia face India in the fifth and final Test on Friday in Sydney, with Mitchell Marsh a big omission for the hosts.
Australia captain Pat Cummins has explained that the decision to drop Mitchell Marsh from the squad for Beau Webster for the final Test against India was taken with the aim of ‘freshening up’ squad after the all-rounder had underperformed.
Marsh had scored a total of just 73 runs across the first four Tests, with 47 of those coming in his second innings at Perth with the first Test long gone by that point.
With the ball, meanwhile, he has bowled just 33 overs and since claiming two wickets for 12 runs in the first innings of the series, his figures have been 1-127 in 28 overs.
“Mitchy, obviously hasn’t quite got the runs, or perhaps the wickets that he would have liked this series,” Cummins told the pre-Test press conference.
“So we felt like it was time for a freshening up, and Beau’s been with the squad. He’s been great. So it’s a shame for Mitchy, because we know how much he brings to the team, but feel like now it’s a good week for Beau to get a chance.”
“He was totally understanding. I think his words were, yeah, not necessarily blind-sided. He knows he hasn’t scored the runs or taken the wickets that he would have liked, so that makes you vulnerable,” said Cummins.
“Really excited for Beau. The first thing he said: ‘I can’t wait to see Beau go out there and give it a crack.’ Particularly here in Australia, I think when a batter misses out or gets dropped it’s always seen as a big thing, but it’s not the case.
“The way that Ronnie [Andrew McDonald] and the selectors and myself look at it is, we love pulling a squad of players together who we think we can call on at different times.
“We thought the time was right for Mitchy to have a freshen up and miss this one. But it doesn’t mean that he won’t be back in that team at some point.”
On what Marsh needs to do to earn a recall to the team, Cummins suggested he did not necessarily need to contribute more with the ball.
“We’ve spoken about it a lot. He was in the side this summer for being a top-six batter, so that’s generally a guiding principle when you pick the top order, [although] not always,” he said.
“I think when he’s at his best, he gets in the side on his batting alone and his bowling is a bonus. Obviously, we’ve got guys like Cam Green who will be back in the mix at some point as well, who provide some other bowling options.”
