Forgotten back-up Mitchell Marsh takes his chance to win over Australia | Geoff Lemon


Patience pays off for unexpected inclusion in third Test with exhilarating yet controlled batting for his throwback century

Travis Head is supposed to outscore you. That’s what Travis Head does, the guy who was already living England’s new ethos before England knew it existed. His power is shifting the scoreboard in the blink of an eye, having you glance up to see 20 or 30 runs from as many balls.

What does it mean, then, when Head is already at the wicket on nine, and the player who walks out to join him brings up a century by the time Head has reached 35? To start the first morning of the Headingley Test, Mitchell Marsh’s call-up as an injury replacement was the biggest surprise of the day. By tea, the surprise was the 114 runs he looted in a session, rescuing Australia in a partnership worth 155.

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