Test squad clouds Marsh, Sayers futures

The radical selection re-think that followed Australia’s humbling at the hands of South Africa has now seen Mitchell Marsh plummet from being the nation’s pre-eminent Test all-rounder to next-best in his own state, in barely a calendar month.

Marsh, who played 19 Tests over a span of two years before being dumped in the wake of the Hobart defeat that also brought the resignation of his namesake and selection chair Rod Marsh, was the conspicuous talking point of the latest Test reshuffle.

Quick Single: Cartwright added to Boxing Day squad

With the new panel’s decision to include uncapped 24-year-old Hilton Cartwright in an expanded squad of 13 for the upcoming Boxing Day Test against Pakistan, installing him as first-choice allrounder ahead of his fellow Western Australian.

Interim chair of the national selection panel Trevor Hohns, who took over the role when Rod Marsh quit last month, explained the elevation of Zimbabwe-born Cartwright as the need to have an extra pace-bowling option for Boxing Day given the hefty workload shouldered by the incumbent quicks at the Gabba.

“The bowlers got through a high workload in Brisbane and although everyone has pulled up okay, on reflection we wanted to give ourselves the option of including an all-rounder in Melbourne to ease that workload somewhat,” Hohns said today.

“To do that we wanted a batting allrounder, someone to bowl seam-up and capable of batting in the top six as well, and after considering several names we came to the conclusion that Hilton fits that bill.

Quick Single: Cartwright lauded for courage and loyalty

“We have seen plenty of him, he has performed well this season and we believe that if called upon he will do an excellent job.”

It’s an admission that the selectors see the heftily-built Cartwright’s potential to provide similar solidity in the problematic number six batting berth, with a first-class return with the bat (average of 44.50 from 16 matches with two centuries) superior to his WA teammate’s.

Marsh has averaged 29.05 across his 67-match first-class career to date with four centuries to his name, and has struggled at Test level where he averages 23.18 with a highest score of 97.

Though Cartwright’s first-class bowling numbers pale alongside Marsh, also aged 24, who has 113 wickets at 28.38 compared to Cartwright’s 15 at 41.93.

But in the aftermath of Australia’s hard-earned 39-run win over Pakistan in the first Commonwealth Bank Test at the Gabba, coach and national selector Darren Lehmann made clear the rationale for adding an additional player to the squad for Boxing Day.

Once it was determined that the overworked fast-bowling trio from Brisbane – Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Jackson Bird – might need a chop out after combining for a bulk of the 145 overs that Australia was forced to bowl in the Test’s fourth innings.

"I would think a fast-bowling allrounder, or a batting allrounder who bowls pace would probably be the option to protect the quicks if we go that way,” Lehmann said.

Cartwright’s call-up also brings into question the role of South Australia seamer Chadd Sayers, who remains a member of the original 12-man Boxing Day squad named yesterday.

The decision to include an allrounder suggests there are fitness concerns over at least one member of the incumbent pace attack, but also indicates the selectors might consider retaining all three with the back-up of a seam-bowling all-rounder rather than elevate Sayers to Test ranks.

It’s highly unlikely the Australians would risk two untried seamers in a vital Test match, especially in light of Pakistan’s batting at the Gabba where they posted the highest fourth-innings total on Australia soil (450).

Particularly after Lehmann noted the current bowling group (that also includes Australia’s most successful Test off-spinner, Nathan Lyon) continues to ride a "learning curve" despite boasting a combined tally of 124 Tests and almost 500 Test wickets between the four of them.

"That's a limit as a bowling side, you can't bowl any more than that (145 overs, as was delivered in the fourth innings at the Gabba)," Lehmann said in assessing his team’s bowling effort in the opening Test.

"So that’s the challenge, and good learning curve for the group.

"I thought we were probably a little bit off after dinner (on day four) and we got a bit wide and short to a lot of their (Pakistan’s) players.

"The boys just went away from the game plan a little bit and I thought they took us on, and actually ruffled us a little bit to be fair.

"So we've got to get better at that as a young group and a bowling group - putting the ball in the right areas more often than not."

Which might mean Cartwright will be on hand as back-up and to gain experience from being around the group, given he has not played international cricket in any format.

And noting that Lehmann spoke in support of current number six Nic Maddinson – who is expected to make way should Cartwright play – after the Gabba Test.

Maddinson has played two Tests – both of them day-night matches featuring the pink Kookaburra ball – and has returned scores of 0, 1 and 4, as well as contributing three (wicketless) overs of left-arm spin in Brisbane.

“We know he's a fine player,” Lehmann said of Maddinson in response to questions about the 24-year-old’s continued Test tenure.

“He's just got to believe at this level.

“I actually thought he did a really good team thing the other day, just coming in (10 minutes before Australia declared their second innings).

“I know there was some talk in the commentary and media that he probably could have gone up the order, Steve (Smith) is really strong on keeping the batting order very similar.

“So he came in for (three) balls, tried to get the game moving as quickly as he could.

“So I disregard the second innings of this (Test at the Gabba), and we've got some red-ball cricket coming up so I'm sure he'll do okay.”

The other member of the current Test XI facing scrutiny is keeper Matthew Wade, who replaced Peter Nevill partly on the strength of his batting record but has managed scores of 4, 7 and 1 (not out) since his recall for the day-night Test against South Africa in Adelaide last month.

Nevill advanced his claims for a return to the role with an unbeaten 179 for NSW in a Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania shortly after being axed.

He is also considered a technically superior gloveman to Wade, who missed a sharp stumping chance off Nathan Lyon at a crucial time of Pakistan’s ultimately unsuccessful run chase in Brisbane.

Prompting speculation that Wade’s credentials to keep on spin-friendly pitches in India (where Australia plays four Tests in February and March) might need to be revised.

But while Lehmann defended the decision to install Wade, partly on the basis that the combative Victorian skipper offers a more vocal, demonstrative presence in the field, he foreshadowed the left-hander could effectively quell that debate by posting a sizeable score in the coming Boxing Day Test.

“Obviously his batting ability, although he hasn't got any runs at the moment but he's been working pretty hard with that,” Lehmann said when asked for the rationale behind Wade’s selection ahead of Nevill.

“And his energy behind the stumps.

“His keeping (at the Gabba) … he'd like to keep better obviously, but I thought he's improved his keeping out of sight in the last 12-18 months from where we were.

“Peter Nevill is obviously a very good keeper as well, it's a tight call whichever way you go.

“But Matthew's got the chance to nail down the spot and we'll see how he goes in Melbourne."

The current squad is solely for the second Test in Melbourne, with Lehmann indicating the selectors will consider the possibility of adding a second spinner for the final Test in Sydney as they did last year when left-armer Stephen O’Keefe was included for the SCG match against the West Indies.

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