Australia are leaning towards bringing in bowling all-rounder Mitchell Marsh for the third Ashes test, but will not name their team until the toss on Thursday.
Australia has a two-nil lead over England and could clinch the series with a win at the WACA ground in Perth.
Marsh is expected to replace batsman Peter Handscomb in the final 11, but selectors will only finalise their decision after an inspection of the pitch on the first day.
Handscomb hasn’t shown good form this series, managing a highest score of only 36.
But Australian Captain Steve Smith, insists the decision to include Marsh in place of Handscomb has nothing to do with the form of any players, but is based on conditions on the day.
“If we do go down that route, then it’s purely for the reasons we feel we need an extra bowler nothing to do with anyone’s batting. The stats sort of suggest over the last couple of years that the bowlers have had a pretty heavy workload out on this wicket so we are probably leaning out that way at the moment. But again it will all depend on what we think the wickets are like tomorrow and if it’s going to be hard fast and bouncy then again it might change our thinking.”
It has been a horrible series for the tourists
Smith is confident that Marsh has taken his advice from the past and used it to better himself as a player.
“I think his tightened up his defence quite a lot. I know speaking to him when he was back in the team a little while ago, we spoke about softening up his hands a little in defence. Those good length balls not going so hard at them. Watching him the last couple of days in the nets and watching some of the live feed of the shield games in his defence he actually has softened his hands up. He’s still putting away the bad ball he hits the ball as hard as anyone I’ve seen, he’s a strong lad.”
Meanwhile, it has been a horrible series for the tourists.
The players have struggled to adapt to Australian conditions on the field, while also finding themselves in trouble off it.
Recent alcohol-fuelled antics involving Jonny Bairstow and Ben Duckett have deep-rooted a reputation that the England squad might have an alcohol problem.
Adding to their off field dramatics is the fact that the mountain they have to climb was last done 81 years ago.
The only team to come back from a two-nil deficit in the Ashes was Don Bradmans Australia in the 1936-1937 series.
