Mitch Marsh will play for his state in round six in his first red-ball match since being dropped from the Test side last summer
Adam Voges has confirmed Mitch Marsh will play in this week’s Sheffield Shield clash with Victoria but the Western Australia coach is yet to settle on batting position for the Aussie star.
Marsh has been floated as a top-order option for an Ashes cameo later in the series and Travis Head’s success in the first Test could embolden selectors to back a similarly attacking batter to take on England’s quicks.
Like Head, Marsh has opened for Australia’s white-ball teams since 2023 and has hit three centuries in the position, including a maiden T20 international ton last month during tour of New Zealand.
The right-hander averages 51 as an opener in one-day internationals striking at almost 100 runs per 100 balls faced, and 36 in the T20Is with a strike rate of 157.
But the Australian men’s T20 captain has never opened in his 121 first-class matches.
Western Australia also boasts a supremely successful opening union in the Sheffield Shield with captain Sam Whiteman and Cameron Bancroft mainstays at the top of the order since 2019, during which they’ve won three straight titles (2021-22 to 2023-24).
“An ongoing discussion from our side of things is, where does he fit into our team?” Voges told reporters at Perth airport on Sunday.
“He fits in, it’s just a matter of where.
“We’ll continue to work through that over the next couple of days. We’ve got some ideas, but we’ll just thrash them out.
“Whiteman and Bancroft’s been a solid opening combination for us for a long period of time so whether we want to break that up or not, we’ll just work through (that).
“We’ll just talk to all the parties and come up with a consensus that everyone’s confident and comfortable with and we’ll go from there.”
It will be Marsh’s first red-ball appearance since he was dropped from the Test side last summer.
He played two Shield matches for WA last season prior to the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series, batting at No.4 in both games and striking 94 from 142 balls against Queensland in his most recent Shield knock.
“I know there’s been a lot of talk around Mitch and (his) potential involvement in the Ashes, but I think we’re just really pleased to have him in WA colours this week for the One-Day Cup and then the Shield game afterwards as well.
“I’d love to see him score a hundred for WA this week and really push that case.
“Let’s see how this week goes and hopefully we’re talking a little bit more about him at the end of this trip.”
WA wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis is also on the fringes an Ashes call up against his native England after hitting a 107-ball unbeaten 125 opening the batting for a Cricket Australia XI on Monday.
Opener Head blazes stunning ton in instant Ashes classic
Should Usman Khawaja not be passed fit after back spasms prevented him from batting in the second innings of the first Test in Perth, or Australia opt to rejig their top order pairing following Head’s 69-ball assault, it could open the door for Inglis to return to the side in Brisbane.
Inglis, a member of Australia’s Ashes squad, has batted between four and six in his three Tests to date.
“That hundred against the (England) Lions was excellent at the top of the order, which shows his versatility,” Voges said.
“Josh, particularly in the longer format, has been outstanding for a couple of years now and hence why he’s in the squad.
“He scored a hundred on Test debut, his record for WA in his last nine Shield games, he’s scored four hundreds, so he’s got a lot of runs on the board.
“I think he’d be an excellent choice.
Inglis rockets to dream century on Test debut
“I don’t know whether he gets the nod for this second Test but he’s in the squad and in the mix for sure.”
Marsh has also been named in WA’s one-day squad to take on Victoria at Junction Oval on Tuesday ahead of the Shield match at the MCG beginning Thursday.
Joel Paris returns from a hamstring injury suffered in the opening round of the Shield season while Cameron Bancroft and Corey Rocchiccioli have both been omitted from the 50-over side.
Meanwhile, Voges said Australia A’s clash with England Lions at Allan Border Field from Friday was on the cards for returning speedster Jhye Richardson as he continues to build his workloads after shoulder surgery.
Richardson made his return via club cricket for Fremantle at the start of the month and sent down 20 overs for the CA XI in their four-day win over the Lions in Perth.
“The CA XI game last week was another step in the right direction for Jhye,” Voges said.
“Australia A is firmly on the cards for Jhye as he continues that build and we’ll hopefully see him after that – whether that’s in the Test squad or maybe in Scorchers colours, we’ll wait and see.”
WA One-Day Cup squad v Victoria: Ashton Turner (c), Ashton Agar, Mahli Beardman, Hilton Cartwright, Cooper Connolly, Brody Couch, Keaton Critchell, Joel Curtis, Albert Esterhuysen, Mitch Marsh, Joel Paris, Sam Whiteman, Teague Wyllie
Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Drawn
D
No results
N/R
Deductions
Ded.
Batting Bonus
Bat
Bowling Bonus
Bowl
Total points
PTS
1
VIC
5
4
1
0
0
0
5.32
4.3
33.62
2
QLD
5
2
1
2
0
0
8.18
3.8
25.98
3
TAS
5
2
2
1
0
2
3.34
4
18.34
4
SA
5
1
2
2
0
0
2.43
4.6
15.03
5
NSW
5
1
3
1
0
0
3.32
4
14.32
6
WA
5
1
2
2
0
0
1.61
4.5
14.11
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
D: Drawn
N/R: No results
Ded.: Deductions
Bat: Batting Bonus
Bowl: Bowling Bonus
PTS: Total points
