For Mitchell Marsh, the upside of being selected to face the media at Northampton on Thursday is that it means the young all-rounder is very much in the frame to come back into Australia’s team for the fifth Test at the Kia Oval next week.
The downside, of course, was having to come up with something positive to say. The 23-year-old did his utmost to stay on message, but not unlike the Australian batting at Trent Bridge, Edgbaston and Cardiff, lack of technique was quickly exposed. At one stage, and rather likeably, he frankly acknowledged as much, pausing and staring briefly into the middle distance before apologising and admitting he’d “completely lost the thread” of what he was saying.
Perhaps Marsh was still thinking about whatever it was that the chairman of selectors, Rod Marsh, and head coach Darren Lehmann had to say when they gathered the Australian touring party on the Wantage Road outfield earlier. From a distance it appeared to have been one of those uncomfortable occasions on which the players are required to listen, rather than offer their own opinions.
Not, as the younger of the Marsh brothers drily pointed out, that they are unaware of the criticism that has been levelled at them, at home and elsewhere. That much they can only have expected. Less acceptable, clearly, has been that much of it has been aimed at the captain.
“I don’t think it’s been very fair on Michael Clarke, he’s been a great player, his stats show that, and he’ll go down as one of the legends of Australian cricket over a period of time,” said Marsh. “I guess it has angered us in a way, it’s been quite disrespectful to someone who has given our game and Australian cricket so much, and it’s been pretty hurtful – but I haven’t read too much, I try to stay out of that sort of stuff.
“We’re focused on seeing him out in the winning fashion he deserves. It’s certainly very tough for us, but at the end of the day we have another Test to play, and that’s an exciting prospect. Personally I’m no less motivated than I was a couple of weeks ago, it’s a Test match and it doesn’t matter we’re 3-1 down, we want to win it, like we do every Test match, so motivation certainly is not lacking.”
Nor should it be. Such has been the freakish unpredictability of this series, it would surely be unwise to write Australia off at the Oval, where each and every tourist will be desperate to make a point. For Marsh it is about the future – including the forthcoming one-day series – as well as the present. Time is still on his side when it comes to proving he has learned from the manner of his dismissals for 0 and 6 at Edgbaston, as a consequence of which he was, arguably harshly given how respectably he had performed at Lord’s, but perhaps in the end fortunately, left out of the side for Trent Bridge.
“Losing the Ashes is not something you want to be a part of, but at the end of the day you have to move forward. We’re at a time when there are going to be some young guys coming in and I’m really excited to be part of that group.
“The one day squad is a young squad and it will give us a chance to start something special as a one day unit. As a group it’ll be exciting to see the younger guys around. You go out to win every Test match you can. It’s the pinnacle, and we still have an opportunity to make it 3-2. We are focused on that.”
Another careful forward defensive or two and Marsh, no doubt to his considerable relief, went on his way relatively unscathed. He, like his team-mates, is well aware the damage has already been done.
