Marsh’s condition and whether he can return to bowling have increased to Australia’s benefit as it emerged that Green will be out for the season due to a strained strain in his back.
There have been questions about whether Marsh, who turns 33 on Sunday, will be able to physically withstand the rigors of bowling. Since rupturing his hamstring during the IPL, Marsh has bowled just four overs, all of them in the fourth ODI against England in Lord’s final over.
Marsh made 13 and 94 as Western Australia’s representative batsman in his final Safeguard opening match against Queensland in the WACA. During the days on the grasslands, he usually stood inside the slips and occasionally helped raise the drinks.
But Marsh said he was feeling “really good” physically as he developed his bowling against Tasmania in the start of Sunday’s Safeguard match at the WACA.
“I really like bowling, so I hope to bowl in Western Australia in this lifetime and manufacture from there.”
With Australia’s frontline attack pace unchanged last summer, and with Tests played on bowler-friendly surfaces, Marsh was not much needed with the ball, but still produced several useful spells.
With Steven Smith returning to No. 4, Australia’s selectors will likely call up an opener rather than a like-for-like replacement for Green. Rising to the top of the order, following in the footsteps of his father Geoff and brother Shaun, Marsh has some support, including that of legendary Australian batsman Greg Chappell.
But Marsh dispelled the idea with his firm focus on contributing as an all-rounder and did not put a limit on the number of overs he could bowl in Tests. “Whenever you are on the fighting pitch, you bowl as many overs as the captain wants you to bowl,” he said.
“I see the all-rounder role as really impressive, especially when our players need a bit of opportunity. I think if you look back over the last few seasons, our all-rounders have bowled possibly 10 to 13 overs a game, which is not really an batch.
“But those 10 to 13 overs can be really important. So for me, it’s about preparing to bowl as much as I can, as much as Patty needs me to.”
Marsh said he was “gutted” for Green, who is expected to be sidelined for six months.
“By all accounts, it’s pretty good, there’s always a shock at first. It all happened pretty quickly,” he mentioned. “Certainly, stress fractures can be quite gradual, but this one happened quite quickly.
“Someone like Cam with his perspective on the sport, he loves it. The idea that there’s a lot of cricket missing is certainly a minor challenge for him, but he’s passed it now and, as an athlete, you go through these things.
“It’s an opportunity for him to come back better and I have no doubt he will.”
Tristan Lavalette is a journalist based entirely in Perth.
