Mitchell Marsh will pull the whites on for Western Australia in early December, a move that keeps his name in the mix for the 2025 Ashes even though he has not played Test cricket since Boxing Day 2024.
The 34-year-old, presently Australia’s T20I captain, is pencilled in for WA’s Sheffield Shield match against Victoria at the MCG from 4 December. He is also expected to feature in the state one-day fixture at Junction Oval two days earlier. WA’s next Shield match, a pink-ball game against South Australia starting this Saturday, comes too soon.
Marsh had joked he would be “six beers deep” in the Perth grandstand while the opening Test is on, yet a single first-class outing now looks more valuable to the national selectors than any amount of well-timed banter. Chairman of selectors George Bailey flagged back in April that Marsh’s Test story was “not over”, and the panel have quietly left the door ajar, impressed by his recent white-ball form and proven record against outright pace – the very weapon England intend to lean on all summer.
Reserve keeper Josh Inglis, another with an outside Ashes chance, will turn out for a Cricket Australia XI versus England Lions at Lilac Hill on Friday and is tipped to bat high up as well.
Plenty to sort at the top
Usman Khawaja’s place is not guaranteed. He turns 39 during the Adelaide Test and, fair or not, questions linger over his returns against the quick stuff. The other opening slot is even less settled. If Jake Weatherald debuts in Perth he will become Khawaja’s seventh opening partner in 16 Tests.
That uncertainty explains why Marsh – who has never opened in 210 first-class innings and has batted No.3 only three times – is suddenly part of the conversation. Coach Andrew McDonald admitted last week the panel “would be comfortable” picking him if required, although Marsh was omitted from the announced squad for Perth.
Where to bat him?
WA’s top order is well set after three consecutive Shield titles. Marsh has never batted above No.4 for the state and the national panel traditionally avoid telling states where to slot players. Even so, a quiet word may be had: if selectors want a proper look at him against the new ball, the MCG fixture is their only window before the Big Bash and, later, the T20 World Cup take him away from red-ball duties for the rest of the summer.
First-class rust
Marsh has not played a red-ball match since being dropped after last year’s Boxing Day Test against India; his previous Shield appearance was October 2024. He freely admits the format has taken a back seat, yet the numbers – a career average nudging 32 with the bat and 26 wickets at 25 in his last full Shield season – suggest a ready-made fourth seamer who can bolster the middle order, or, if the gamble pays off, steady a new-look top three.
A single Shield game will not answer every question, but it ensures the conversation continues. And, should the Ashes summer turn chaotic – it usually does – a fit, confident Marsh is a handy card for the selectors to hold.
