A different role for allrounder Marsh?

The debate surrounding allrounder Mitchell Marsh's ongoing tenure in Australia's best Test XI has spawned the suggestion that he might be better employed as a specialist seamer who bats alongside other bowlers in the lower-order.

But Marsh has confirmed that he wants to continue to play the difficult dual role with bat and ball and his view has been backed by one of his former teammates who was also once touted as a potential pace-bowling allrounder.

Recently-retired pace ace Mitchell Johnson, who finished his 73-Test career with a batting average not much inferior to Marsh's current benchmark of 24, admitted today he could see some merit in the call for Marsh to be shuffled down a few notches in the batting order.

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But Johnson pointed out that the prevailing wisdom since Darren Lehmann took over as national coach in 2013 has been to employ a seam-bowling allrounder when conditions suit, often mainly as a back-up should one of the front-line quicks break down during a match.

And while the work that Marsh has done on his bowling since earning his Baggy Green cap in 2014 would enable him to fulfil the job as a first-change seamer, Johnson believes his superior batting skills means he better serves the team as the incumbent allrounder.

Provided he can find the consistent Test runs that have often eluded him in his 18 matches to date.

"I think his bowling is really strong, so he could be that third seamer," Johnson told cricket.com.au in Perth today where the Australia squad has assembled ahead of the first Commonwealth Bank Test against South Africa starting on Thursday.

"He is fast, he can bowl with good pace and it might put a bit less pressure on him because he might just go out there and hit the ball when he has a chance to bat.

"I guess it just depends on his mental side at the moment.

"Is he putting too much pressure on himself? It's a pretty tough gig to be the allrounder in the team.

"I know from my experience when there was talk of me going up the order to bat at seven or even six, it just put more pressure on me to bat like a batsman.

"And at the moment, he hasn't really lived up to what his standards are so he's probably put that pressure on himself.

"But I'd like to see him go the way he is now (as an allrounder batting in the top six) and just get better and better.

"I know Rod Marsh (National Selection Panel chair) has said that Mitch has got that potential.

"Plus you have to think about the balance of the team and who comes in as a replacement batter.

"So I think you still need that extra seam-bowling option."

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Since scoring 87 against Pakistan batting at number seven in Abu Dhabi in 2014 – his third Test innings in just his second appearance – Marsh has reached 50 on only one other occasion.

In the first innings of his most recent Test match, against Sri Lanka in Colombo last August.

As such, he is the first Australian specialist batsman since former Test skipper Vic Richardson – grandfather of the legendary Chappell brothers Ian, Greg and Trevor – to have averaged less than 25 across the first 18 matches of a Test career.

Marsh claimed today that he had not listened to much of the discussion regarding his place in the Australia XI and had no plans to add those articles to his reading list, but he conceded he was "under a bit of pressure".

"But I think if I go into the week thinking like that I'm probably not going to enjoy it," he said in his home town of Perth today.

"It's a home Test match, I'm going to prepare as best as I ever have, and go out there and really enjoy myself and not focus on myself too much."

Former Australia coach, now High Performance Manager at the South Australia Cricket Association Tim Nieslen, was another who publicly pondered the wisdom of dropping Marsh a couple of rungs in the batting order and increasing his bowling output.

As Nielsen pointed out, that might also create an opportunity to blood a young batsman – or perhaps even another aspiring batting allrounder – in the number six role.

"It depends on the balance that the selectors want and more importantly what the coach and the captain wants," said Nielsen, who coached the team from 2007-2011.

"The captain (Steve Smith) obviously likes to have that fourth seam option.

"And it's an opportunity for Mitchell (Marsh) to grab it and be the allrounder that can bat well enough as a batsman, and bowl well enough to hold his spot."

Even though he has been used a bowler in every Test he's played, Marsh averages a tick over eight overs per innings and has only twice bowled more than 17 in an innings.

The 17.3 he sent down against the West Indies in last year's Boxing Day Test and the same against New Zealand at Wellington's Basin Reserve two months later.

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But despite a rotten run with injury in the early stages of his international career, Marsh believes his body could withstand the rigours of operating as a specialist seamer in the often relentless world of Test cricket.

It's just that he doesn't want to be doing it any time soon.

"I certainly want to remain an allrounder, and bat at six," he said today. "But if that (playing as a specialist seamer) did come up, I'd be happy to do it.

"I feel like my bowling's improved a lot over the last 18 months, and it's gotten to a point now where on the few occasions where blokes have gone down (with injury) and I've had to step up to the third seamer role, I've done it.

"My body would be fine with that, touch wood.

"I've put a lot of work into my body over the last couple of years to get myself to a point where I'm capable of doing that for the team.

"But I really enjoy batting at No.6 and want to stay there as long as I can."

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