Australia could make a surprise selection call for the second Test, with Mitchell Marsh reportedly a chance of being recalled to their squad to face England.
But even if he isn’t, the all-rounder is expected to feature in the Australian squad at some point in the Ashes, and possibly return to the XI in a development that spells trouble for Usman Khawaja.
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That is according to a report from The Sydney Morning Herald, which claimed Marsh will be part of the selectors’ plans for the “pointy end” of the series.
Marsh’s selection would effectively serve as a counter from Australia to England’s all-out pace attack of Jofra Archer, Mark Wood, Brydon Carse and Gus Atkinson, while he could also offer a versatile option in the middle of the batting order.
That, in turn, could be a problem for Khawaja as it would allow Australia to then permanently shift Travis Head to open after his heroics at Perth.
If Marsh isn’t selected for Brisbane, The Herald reported he will be included in Western Australia’s team to play Victoria at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, marking his first Sheffield Shield appearance since October last year.
Marsh, who has not played a first-class match since being dropped after the Boxing Day Test against India last year, was floated as a genuine left-field option by both Greg Chappell and Michael Vaughan ahead of the first Test against England.
“Mitch Marsh is the choice I would have preferred,” Chappell wrote in a column.
“It would have been a left-field choice, but this is a venue where he has an advantage over all other candidates. He grew up in Perth so the bounce would not worry him; he is one of the best players of pace in the country, and he could have bowled some meaningful overs to support the frontline quicks.”
Vaughan, meanwhile, called Marsh’s century at the 2023 Headingley Test “exceptional” and said “the way that he plays pace bowling” is why he would have gone with the West Australian at the top of the order.
Chair of selectors George Bailey hinted earlier in the month that Marsh could factor in Australia’s plans later in the series.
“He’s got a game that could provide an injection, a different look at how he might attack it,” Bailey said of Marsh.
“It’s not the path we’re going down to start the series, but what it looks like later on, we’ll see.”
FORMER AUSSIE TEST COACH SAYS ENGLAND FANS ‘SHOULD BE BETTER’
Darren Lehmann has taken aim at England fans, declaring they “should be better” than the “abuse” directed at Steve Smith over the ball-tampering scandal.
Lehmann was the coach of the Australian side when the incident took place in 2018 and later stepped down from his role at the end of the series against South Africa, while Smith was banned for 12 months for his involvement in ‘Sandpapergate’.
Speaking on ABC Sport after the first Test, Lehmann said the abuse he receives is “daily” and added that he could only imagine how much worse it would be for someone like Smith who was at the centre of it and is still playing.
“It is unbelievable. He (Smith) is playing every day. It would be worse for him,” Lehmann said.
“In England they just don’t forget. It is like they have never done anything wrong in their life.
“It is only the ones that drink too much and carry on like pork chops.
“It just borders on abuse, but we did the wrong thing, you’ve got to accept it. It’s not great for your mental health, to be completely honest.”
Lehmann did acknowledge that “most of” the Barmy Army are “very supportive” of the sport, but called on those who do continue to sledge Smith to consider the impact of constantly reminding Australia’s stand-in skipper of his past.
“We did the wrong thing, accept it and move on,” Lehmann said.
“You try to move on the best you can. You get reminded every day and that is part and parcel.
“Steve Smith can hold his head high with how he handles everything.
“The Barmy Army should be better than that. Most of them are and are very supportive of what goes on in the game.”
SILVER LINING BEHIND TWO-WAY TEST
Elsewhere, while the first Test may have left some fans with tickets for later days disappointed, there was one silver lining to come from England’s collapse.
Western Australia’s Deputy Premier Rita Saffioti revealed on Instagram that the early finish allowed Perth Stadium to make the most of all its leftover food, providing the “biggest” donation in its history to charities, schools, women’s refuges and “individuals in need” across Perth.
“Thanks to the fast-finishing Ashes Test at Optus Stadium, hundreds of kilos of fresh food have been donated to Western Australians in need,” Saffioti wrote.
“When it became clear the match would wrap up early, the Optus Stadium team moved quickly to minimise waste.
“Given the size of the donation – the biggest provided by the stadium to date – OzHarvest has partnered with two other local organisations, SecondBite and Foodbank WA to distribute the products to charities, schools, women’s refuges and individuals in need across Perth.
“From stacked pallets of fruit and veg, to sandwiches, dairy and bread – even 450kg of tomatoes now being turned into passata – this is community spirit at its best.”
‘FED UP’ ENGLISH GREAT’S DIRE 5-0 WARNING
Meanwhile, Lord Ian Botham has sent an Ashes whitewash warning to England while also challenging two of their best players to lift or risk their legacies being affected.
Joe Root and Ben Stokes have not won a Test in Australia and after the collapse in the first Test, the pair are already on the back foot if they want to change it this time around.
This may be their last chance too given both are 34 years old and to be considered among “the very best”, Botham said both Root and Stokes “need to win in Australia”.
“People remember you for what you’ve done over here,” he told the PA news agency.
“In Joe and Ben we’ve got two world-class players – Joe’s got 39 hundreds for goodness sake – but they are desperate to make an impression here. You can only do that by winning. They need to get the monkey off their back.
“They are the two who will want this the most because a lot of the others will get another bite at the cherry.
“I can tell you from experience, winning over here feels really, really good and it means absolute respect. I don’t have a favourite time because every time you beat Australia is a great day. That alone should drive England.”
As for England’s chances of turning it around after the disaster at Perth, Botham said they “need to fire up quickly” and that means adapting from the overly aggressive approach.
“It was horrendous, there’s no other word for it,” Botham said.
“England need to fire up and fire up quickly.
“I’m fed up of hearing, ‘this is the way we play’. If I hear it once more, I think I’ll throw something at the television.”
Botham then went on to warn that if England continue to play that way, they may as well “go home now”.
“Because it’s going to be 5-0,” he added.
