In the old Hans Christian Andersen tale ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, only a child is prepared to state the obvious and declare the emperor naked. Let me be that child.
The West Indies have had a brand new suit designed and stitched for Shaun Marsh. Once dressed in his finery, Shaun Marsh can continue his masquerade as the ‘talented’ Test cricketer the selectors and certain over-enthusiastic commentators have always claimed he is. The selectors appear to have heaved a big sigh of relief, assuring themselves they weren’t wrong after all, that at long last Marsh has delivered on his promise. So much so, in fact, that it is suggested Joe Burns may be jettisoned for the 2nd Test so that Marsh may be retained when Usman Khajawa returns after injury.
This would be an awful travesty.
Disclaimer: OK, I admit it: I’m a Shaun Marsh skeptic. Always have been. I think he’s the ‘new Shane Watson’; i.e. he has the appearance of a Test cricketer but lacks the temperament and skill to hold a long-term place in Australia’s batting line-up. I also think he tends to achieve Test selection despite lacking the track record to justify it. He’s just. Not. Good. Enough.
I don’t wish to beat up on the woeful West Indies team – too may in the media have already done that and I have nothing to add – so let’s save time and be blunt. They are rubbish, and runs scored against them simply shouldn’t be valued as highly as runs scored against any of the other six decent Test-playing nations. Any rational observer should apply a huge discount to the value of Marsh’s innings of 182 against the West Indies in Hobart. The West Indies’ bowling attack would hardly threaten the local Under-11s, and the pitch – while not as mind-numbingly flat as Perth – contained few gremlins. The West Indies’ only decent fast bowler, Shannon Gabriel, departed injured after over only ten overs. Kemar Roach was appalling. I like Jason Holder a lot but the guy bowls only at medium pace (calling him ‘fast-medium’ is being kind). Jomel Warrican did his best and credit to him for nabbing Steve Smith’s wicket, but he wasn’t threatening thereafter.
Prior to the 1st Test, Marsh’s Test average after 16 matches was 32.57. This number is not some sort of aberration or statistical distortion that somehow masks his true worth – it represents Marsh’s achievements across the not inconsiderable number of 29 Test innings. And it isn’t good enough. After Hobart, Marsh’s average stands at 37.72, still not exceptional but it flatters him nonetheless.
It is no surprise to see Shane Watson today expressing his hope that Marsh’s big innings against West Indies will silence the latter’s critics. Himself a chronic underperformer, Watson just doesn’t get it, and never did. A good Test batsman makes runs under pressure against GOOD opposition teams and does so with some regularity. Watson could not manage it, and Marsh has not, either.
Meanwhile, Joe Burns does not deserve to be axed. He has played only 6 Tests, having been anointed as Chris Rogers’ successor, and while his performances to date have been a little inconsistent, his Test average of 40.36 is perfectly acceptable and the left-right hand combination is worth preserving. The selectors are often criticized for not sticking with the players they choose. If Burns was the right batsman to open with David Warner a week ago, then he still should be, regardless of Shaun Marsh’s performance. He is still only 26 (Marsh is 32), and if the selectors truly wish to nurture younger players for the longer term, Burns is clearly the more sensible bet of the two.
Let’s be clear. Shaun Marsh was only called up when Khawaja succumbed to injury. All other things being equal, no amount of runs against this hopeless West Indies team is enough reason to retain him over either Burns or Khawaja if the latter two are fit. Tough bikkies, to be sure, but any other move would consign the selection policy to the realm of the utterly illogical (where it is already teetering after the Coulter-Nile inclusion).