I feel like I have to mention someone.
2 First Class games and 6 List A games is not usually enough to get a rubber stamp from cricket with balls.
But in his 8 games at this level he has made 4 half centuries.
Not that exciting, until you start to look at how the half centuries were made.
In his debut in first class cricket he made 59* out of 131.
In the last 3 List A games he has played in he has made a half century in each game.
The first one against NSWales was 60* off 29 balls.
The latest one was 92 out of 193.
Put those three together and you have him twice making runs when his team has collapsed, and another time putting a bunch of cherries on top of a score.
There is also the fact he seems to have the bluest sporting blood of any potential Australian cricketer since Trevor Chappell. With a brother and father from the top level of Australian cricket, and a sister who plays professional basketball.
Finally there is his age, all 18 years of him.
I’ve only seen him bat a couple of times, and it was grainy dodgy downloaded vision, but it still looked pretty damn curvaceous to me.
His name is Mitchell Marsh.
And sooner rather than later he will be called a once in a generation talent.
Western Australia has kept Mitchell back as much as they can, but you can only keep a tiger in a handbag so long.
There is no better time for Australia to start grooming their young stallion.
Now he has the cricket with balls stamp it means he will get a very quick ride to the big leagues, or spend years being frustrated.
Mitch will be a star. Give him a bit of time.
Just imagine in years to come, Mitch and Hughes in the Australian batting order. Plus that young ranga Smith. Throw in paine and the future is looking bright.
Saw this guy in the nets 18 months ago, and thought ‘wow’! There was a fair bit of talk whether he’d go AFL or cricket, but I would think that brother Shaun’s cash he earned in IPL1 might have swayed him. Otherwise, he probably wouldn’t have been drafted into an AFL team a couple of weeks back.
He has looked awesome this season, all of those knocks were classy – some attacking some defensive. He appears to have it all. And apparently he can bowl at 135k.
He should move to NSW.
But where are the bloody bowlers? I want the Ozzies to have an international class attack some time in the next three years or so. It’s not much to ask, is it?
Perhaps this one will be a twice-in-a-generation Mitchell?
Mitchell Marsh – the bastard offspring of Mitchell Johnson and Rod Marsh: he can bat and he can bowl – is our little future star;
I suspect you bloody Victorians will try and nick him though …
That’s why we try and hold players like him back, to stop him from catching the eye of another state side.
No, really.
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