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.
Turning on the television and seeing Marsh wearing Australian whites must have felt like turning on the television and realising it was connected to a VCR. This was a throwback. His last Test was on Australia’s previous trip to England in 2019, when he came in as bowling support on a flat Oval track and took five wickets with a spell of prodigious swing.
Even then he was aware of the antagonism and accusations of nepotism that would follow, given his dad, Geoff, also played for Australia, and that he and his brother Shaun were picked for years on middling results. “Most of Australia hate me,” he said, smiling in a way that didn’t fully hide some hurt. “There’s no doubt I’ve had a lot of opportunity at Test level and I haven’t quite nailed it. But hopefully they can respect me for the fact I keep coming back … I’ll keep trying and hopefully I’ll win them over one day.”
Even at that point he was an afterthought, a squad player who made a point of doing coffee runs and taking teammates out for walks as a way to contribute. After four Tests on the bench, he looked to have unlocked a new stint in the team. But a broken hand cost him the next home summer, and a year later there was Cameron Green: younger, taller, bowling faster, making bigger scores.
History is repeating, with Marsh again the forgotten back-up, again the unexpected inclusion, this time thanks to Green’s hamstring. In that interim though, Marsh has become key to Australia’s white-ball teams, batting No 3 for big runs on a regular basis, player of the match in their T20 World Cup final win. He is 31 now, captains Western Australia, and has a poise that his younger version lacked. He is a better player now, comprehensively, and still the country’s best all-round option behind Green.
In the immediate term, he might just have pushed his name to top spot. Green has battled to make a mark in England, and the rest of the team battled at Headingley. As Mark Wood’s pace blew them away, Marsh was the only one who could handle it.
He started perfectly, a cover drive just before lunch, and pounded Chris Woakes for six straight afterwards. No Test in four years, no first-class cricket in eight months, but he was just on. It felt like his 181 in Perth in 2017, the way he rifled cuts behind point and straight drives to the fence with the purest sound of contact. Woakes, Stuart Broad, Ollie Robinson, all treated the same.
Trained at the Waca ground, a fast Headingley pitch suited fine. So did the fastest bowler in the game. Wood was supposed to test him out. Instead Marsh pulled him for four – not deflecting, but through mid on, such was the time he had on the shot. When he did go square, it was a flat fast six. Two fuller balls were crashed away with the drive. It was exhilarating batting, yet always felt in control.
Three boundaries off Moeen Ali’s spin preceded a towering shot into the sight screen – it felt more audacious hitting a six to move to 99 than to raise a hundred. That milestone came with a single, completing Marsh’s third Ashes century, as many as Ian Botham, one fewer than Ben Stokes. Marsh is playing in his ninth Ashes Test, Stokes his 23rd, Botham played 32.
He walloped Woakes again, then the on drive for four: even the shot that speaks most of style and ease, Marsh managed to imbue with force. He had 118 from as many balls when an edge deflected to slip in the last over before tea. Head was still there having contributed 30 from 50, Australia saved from 85 for four to a healthier 240 for five.
He added a wicket to keep England in check at 68 for three, and when his teammates had him lead them off, you could see that his success meant as much to them as to him. For years Marsh has been the most popular member of any squad, the one who smiles easily whatever his situation, and brings good cheer to those around him. Being valued on the bench requires selflessness. On two Ashes tours, patience has eventually given him a chance that he has taken. Perhaps winning over the public is still a chance as well.
