Australia see a role in Ashes for discarded Marsh

Reuters,Melbourne, Apr. 2: Dumped all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has the skills to trouble England and could break back into Australia's test squad in time for the Ashes, selectors' chief George Bailey said on Tuesday.

Marsh was dropped after the fourth test against India following a series of low scores. He was then overlooked for the Sri Lanka tour while battling a lower back injury.

The 33-year-old barely bowled during the home summer, and while he has resumed playing in the Indian Premier League, he has been limited to batting for Lucknow Super Giants.

Marsh was nonetheless retained in Australia's list of contracted players released on Tuesday for the 2025/26 season in an endorsement by selectors.

"I don’t necessarily think his red-ball career is over,” Bailey told reporters.

"I don’t think he was scoring the runs he wanted or we wanted when we left him out of the test side, but there’s still an incredibly exciting skill set there with the bat, the way he can rip a game open.

"If you look ahead to a team like England and the way they play their cricket, the way they seem to be framing up their team, I think he’s got a skill set there that could be helpful."

Marsh has played some of his best cricket against England, averaging 47.07 in 10 tests versus his modest career average of 28.53.

He faces an uphill battle to break back into the Australian squad, though, with Cameron Green recovering from back surgery and another all-rounder, Beau Webster, impressing in tests against India and Sri Lanka.

Selectors will pick a squad next month for the World Test Championship final against South Africa at Lord's in June.

While two-test opener Sam Konstas earned his first Australia contract, no decisions have been made as to whether the 19-year-old will be recalled for South Africa after being dropped for the series win over Sri Lanka, said Bailey.

Konstas earn first Australia contract

Konstas is battling several players for a spot in Australia's top six, including Marnus Labuschagne, Green and Josh Inglis.

The 19-year-old Konstas was named among 23 contracted players on Tuesday, three months on from making a memorable 60 in his international debut in the Melbourne test against India.

Konstas was one of three players to earn their first national contracts, joining spinner Matt Kuhnemann and all-rounder Beau Webster.

White-ball all-rounders Sean Abbott and Aaron Hardie, and seven-test spinner Todd Murphy made way for the new trio.

“In Sam, we see promising upside in a young player who will continue to develop at the first-class level and in the international environment,” selector George Bailey said in a statement.

Kuhnemann’s contract is another boost for the left-arm spinner who was recently cleared of having a suspect bowling action following his prolific tour of Sri Lanka.

Kuhnemann was reported for his bowling action after he was Player of the Series with 16 wickets in Sri Lanka.

Tasmania all-rounder Webster has had a strong entry into test cricket since his Sydney debut against India, scoring 150 runs at an average of 50.00 from his three matches along with three wickets with his medium pace.

“Matt was outstanding once again in Sri Lanka and we believe he can play a key role across the next 18 months,” said Bailey.

“In Beau’s case, he proved more than comfortable at Test level with bat and ball, adds an additional dimension in the field and to the balance of the side.”

With 20 out of 23 players retaining their contracts, selectors have opted for continuity over change for an aging Australian squad.

Pace bowler Jhye Richardson was retained despite nearly three years passing since his last international match.

Fringe pace bowlers Lance Morris and Xavier Bartlett also kept their contracts after barely featuring for Australia in the 2024/25 season.

Bailey suggested players who missed out against South Africa might get chances in the following three-test series against West Indies in June-July.

"The way we frame that (WTC final) and potentially look at how we structure that team may be different than the West Indies tour," he said.