Mitch Marsh has been in and out of Australia’s test side since he made his debut in 2014 but the exciting all-rounder may have finally cemented his spot.
The last successful No. 6 batsman was Michael Hussey who was one of Australia’s best test batsmen of recent times and up until Marsh’s rejuvenation, he was the last player to score multiple centuries batting at six in test cricket for Australia.
After a form slump and a shoulder injury at the beginning of 2017, Marsh was unable to bowl for almost nine months.
He couldn’t work on his bowling, so he worked on his batting with a focus on improving his defensive game.
Marsh has been widely known as a big-hitting limited overs batsman for the most part of his career, but with the addition of defence to his game, he looks right at home playing test cricket.
A fast-tracked bowling comeback and some impressive form in the JLT One-Day Cup and JLT Sheffield Shield earned Marsh a recall into the test squad for the third Ashes Test.
Many fans doubted his ability to perform at test level but with an outstanding knock of 181 on his home pitch in Perth, he proved that he deserves his chance in the test squad.
With another century in the fifth Ashes test in Sydney, Marsh showed that his form wasn’t just luck or because of the familiar pitch, he was a serious test batsman now.
So far in the Qantas Tour of South Africa, he has been an integral part of the team with the ball and bat.
Proteas champion batsman, AB de Villiers, stated that Marsh’s first innings of the first test was the difference between the two sides.
He came in at 4-151 and put 96 runs on the board to set up what would be a healthy lead for Australia leading into the second innings.
In the second test at Port Elizabeth on a tough batting pitch, Marsh gave Australia some hope and South Africa something to chase with a knock of 45 in the second innings.
He took two key wickets and had the second lowest-economy rate of the Australian bowling attack only behind Nathan Lyon.
His improvement over the last six months has been well documented but if there is anyone who can appreciate how far Marsh has come, it’s his older brother and teammate Shaun.
"He's done fantastically well since he's come back in," Shaun Marsh said
"I reckon it's the best I've seen him bat through his career. He's bowling well as well.
"He's getting better with each game he's playing with his bowling and we saw that in this game."
Shaun believes his younger brother finally believes that he belongs at this level though there is still improvement to come with his cricket.
"There's definitely room for improvement for him and that's exciting for him and Australian cricket," he said.
"I think he's improving every game he's playing.
"It's great for him he's playing well and scoring runs and he's taking come crucial wickets for us now as well, which is really important as well."
The Aussie allrounder’s great form could be halted after he sustained a slight groin strain during the second test.
The four-match series is tied at 1-1 between Australia and South Africa and Marsh could be a big loss to the side, but with ten days between tests, he is confident he will be ready for the third test in Cape Town.
