Mitchell Marsh – The Aussie all-rounder who has come of age

Mitchell Marsh – The Aussie all-rounder who has come of age: If someone asks you a question as to who is currently the most exciting all-round prospect in the shorter format of the game, several names come to the mind. From Ben Stokes who is doing pretty well for the Three Lions to Jason Holder of West Indies, even Corey Anderson and Moeen Ali for their respective sides have been brilliant in the last few months. But one name that stands above all others, at least in the shorter format, is Mitchell Marsh!

Shane Watson’s successor:

Australians have always been known to produce some quality all-rounders. From Keith Miller to Shane Watson, the Kangaroos always pride themselves in having a quality player who can do the job with both bat and the ball.

Till recent times, it used to be Shane Watson who would play the role of the main all-rounder for the Aussies, but his constant injury meant that the management was forced to look at other options.

James Faulkner seemed to be the ideal candidate to eventually replace/succeed Watto, but his disciplinary issues have so far exceeded his enormous talent on the pitch. The 23-year-old Mitchell Marsh, who was earmarked by a lot of Cricketers as the one for future, has surely lived up to the hype in ODIs after an ordinary start to his career.

In the recently concluded 5 match ODI series against the Ashes holders, the Western Australian was awarded the Man of the Series award for his enormous effort with both bat and the ball. Marsh was a crucial cog in the Aussies’ series win over English as he managed to scalp 8 wickets and score 134 runs at a strike-rate of 116 while batting at No. 6!

Will he be the successor of Shane Watson? I most definitely think so!

A brilliant talent and finally a mature head too?

I think very few people outside Australia would be aware of this but Mitchell Marsh has been disciplined by Cricket Australia on more than one occasion. The currently 23-year-old all-rounder was sent home and suspended for a night of party and subsequently, turning up to a training session hung-over, alongside his brother Shaun Marsh in 2012.

Shaun Marsh, another immensely talented batsman, constantly misused his batting talent and his younger brother looked to be on the similar path until a couple of years back with several instances like this.

Although, the one thing that was always on Mitch’s side was time. Like his brother, Mitchell had a great potential but unlike his brother he actually started to get serious and make use of his talent. Once he did that, a call to the national team was just a matter of time!

Craig McDermott – The Zen Master?

Once selected for the national side, the next challenge for the younger Marsh was to grow as a Cricketer and take his game to the next level.

Enters Craig McDermott!

Craig McDermott, the current bowling coach of Australia, comes around to be some kind of a Zen master. If you look at the past few years, several fast bowlers like Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Johnson, Pat Cummins etc. have been excellent for the Aussies. And if there’s one similarity in all of them it is that, they have all owed their resurgence or success to Craig McDermott. Mitchell Marsh has been no different.

If we remember correctly, Marsh used to bowl at a gentle medium pace before the World Cup 2015. Yes, he was more or less effective but not spectacular. Nowadays, he is clocking close to the 140 mark rather consistently while, swinging the ball both ways. So, what changed?

“Craig McDermott and I sat down after the World Cup and changed a few things in my bowling” said Mitchell, when asked about his increased pace and threat with the ball.

“It’s nice to see them coming along now but I’ve got to keep working hard if I want to keep improving and be a genuine all-rounder.”

“He (Craig) has been awesome for me, just to learn off him.”

You see? Hard work and correct guidance does that for you!

Future Prospect:

Mitchell Marsh is a regular member of the Aussie side in the shorter format of the game while he is also lurking around the Test squad, as we saw in the recently concluded Ashes. Now, after the retirement of big names such as Michael Clarke, Brad Haddin and most importantly, his main competition, Shane Watson, we can assume that Marsh will have a fair shot in the longer format of the game too.

The next assignment for the Aussies is a trip to an improved Bangladeshi side. The sub-continent side might not pose the same threat as England, but they have surprisingly improved a lot in the recent years.

As expected, Mitch Marsh has made the final cut and will most likely walk into the first eleven as well. If the all rounder wants to establish himself as a regular member of the Test squad and improve his Test status, this would be his moment! Hopefully, his elder brother, who is also a part of the squad after the retirement of Rogers and an injury to Warner, realizes this too!