Shaun Marsh deserves place in Test team: Mike Hussey

Sydney: Former Australia Test batsman Mike Hussey believes left-hander Shaun Marsh deserves to be handed a recall for the first Test against New Zealand.

Marsh struck a superb knock of 186 runs in his team Western Australia’s win against a Cricket Australia (CA) XI on Thursday, his second century in four domestic matches.

Australia will host New Zealand for three Tests with the first match beginning at Brisbane on November 5.

Australia are seeking long-term replacements for the recently retired batsmen Chris Rogers and Michael Clarke. There are fitness concerns around opener David Warner adding to an uncertainty surrounding the Test line-up for the match.

“I personally think he deserves a chance (for the first Test),” Hussey was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au on Thursday.

“I think he’s an experienced guy who knows his own game really well, he’s putting performances on the board and he’s at the top of his game. He’s at a nice stage of his career where he’s on top of his game so he’s got the best chance to perform consistent”y.”

“He’s phenomenal (when he gets going). We’ve always known how good a player he is and that’s all he can do; keep plundering runs and keep putting his name in front of the selectors.”

Marsh’s scored 141 against Sri Lanka on debut in 2011 and 148 against South Africa, bith on away soil.

“And when or if he gets his opportunity – probably when – whether it’s in the first Test or later, it’s about trying to grab it and make it his own. It’s tough but that’s the reality of international cricket,” Hussey added.

“For a player with a middling Test record of two centuries from 15 Tests, it’s easy to forget that Marsh has produced two of the best innings by an Australian on foreign soil in the past five years.”