Marsh in good bowling form ahead of SA Tests

Cricket365
February 11, 2018

Australia allrounder Mitchell Marsh will be heading to South Africa for the Test series in good bowling form having come through a first-class game for Western Australia.

Marsh made a stirring comeback to Test cricket from a shoulder injury late last year, scoring 181 against England in the third Ashes in Perth before hitting another ton in the final game of the series in Sydney.

His bowling during the Ashes was rather limited as Australia’s pace attack and spinner Nathan Lyon took care of England in a four-nil thrashing.

With a four-match Test series in South Africa starting on 1 March, Marsh took four wickets against New South Wales in what was the last chance for Australia’s Test squad members to impress before going on tour.

In quotes published on Cricket Australia’s website, Marsh said: “It’s good for my confidence that’s for sure.

“I’ve been building for most of the season with my bowling and playing Test cricket with the big four that we’ve got, I don’t necessarily have to bowl a lot of overs.

“But it’s nice to know that I am capable of getting through 26 overs. I thought my pace has been up the last couple of weeks which has been really good and I’m happy with the way it’s coming out.”

Australia Test squad to SA: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Jackson Bird, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Josh Hazlewood, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, Jhye Richardson, Mitchell Starc

Australia fixtures in South Africa:

Warm-up match v SA Invitational XI, Sahara Park, Benoni, Feb 22-24

First Test Kingsmead, Durban, March 1-5

Second Test St George’s Park, Port Elizabeth, March 9-13

Third Test Newlands, Cape Town, March 22-26

Fourth Test Wanderers, Johannesburg, March 30-April 3