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Brydon Coverdale
January 9, 2012
Australia are confident Shaun Marsh will be fit to play the third Test against India despite being struck down with gastro. Marsh flew home to Perth on Sunday following Australia's victory in Sydney and he was scheduled to speak at a media conference on Monday, but was unable to do so due to his illness.
The Australian squad was due to convene in Perth on Monday afternoon ahead of the Test, which begins on Friday at the WACA, where Australia will be aiming to take a 3-0 lead. Michael Hussey, a fellow Western Australian, said Marsh would be keen to play his first Test at his home ground.
"I'm sure he's fine," Hussey told reporters in Perth. "He'll be at training tomorrow I'm sure with the boys and preparing as well as he can. He'll be really looking forward to playing on his home ground. His first home Test. The WACA crowd always give the local guys a huge welcome and a louder roar than any other player, so he's got plenty of motivation to play exceptionally well in this Test."
Marsh has had a lean time in the first two Tests, with scores of 0, 3 and 0 in the victories in Melbourne and Sydney. It was quite a change from the first three Tests of his career: he made a century on debut in Sri Lanka in September, followed by 81 in his second Test and a fighting 44 in Cape Town, where he provided the only serious support for the captain Michael Clarke during his century.
However, a serious back complaint that he picked up in Cape Town sidelined Marsh for the next six weeks, and he returned to the Test side after just one Twenty20 match for the Perth Scorchers. But Hussey believes Marsh can regain his best form on his home ground at the WACA, where he has averaged 45.02 in first-class cricket.
"I wouldn't be surprised if he performs very well in this Test match," Hussey said. "He prepares very well with his training leading up to games. It's always tough when you have been out of the game for over a month to be able to come straight back into Test match cricket and perform straight away.
"It does take a bit of time, but he has been working very hard and he's been hitting the ball very well in the nets. So it's just a case of him being able to get through that first half an hour of his innings and then if he gets a start, I'm sure he'll want to turn it into a big hundred."
Marsh has been trusted with the No.3 position after Ricky Ponting's move down to second drop, although the New South Wales batsman Usman Khawaja is hovering on the fringes should Marsh continue to struggle at home. Australia's coach, Mickey Arthur, said Marsh had been tentative in Melbourne and Sydney but that he was worth persevering with at the top of the order.
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