Australia vs Pakistan: Mitchell Marsh smokes 90 in Perth Test
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has slammed his fifth half-century in Test cricket. The 32-year-old accomplished the milestone on Day 2 of the series opener against Pakistan in Perth. Marsh, who was picked ahead of Cameron Green, justified his selection. He, however, missed out on a ton, having been dismissed for 90 off 107 balls (15 fours, 1 six). Here we look at his stats.
A brilliant knock from Marsh
Australia were strongly placed at 304/4 when Marsh arrived to bat on the opening day. He was watchful in the final session and walked back unbeaten on 15* at stumps. The dasher was aggressive on Day 2 as he shared a 90-run stand with Alex Carey (34). He continued to bat well after the southpaw's departure. Marsh eventually fell to debutant pacer Khurram Shahzad.
Here are his stats
Notably, each of Marsh's three Test centuries have come against England. Hence, this could have been his first Test ton against a non-England team. Marsh, who made his Test debut in 2014, has now raced to 1,600 runs from 36 Tests at an average of 28.57. The tally includes five half-centuries. Versus Pakistan, Marsh now owns 284 Test runs, averaging 31.55 (50s: 2).
50 Test wickets loading for Marsh
It must be noted that Marsh, who is a right-arm fast bowler, has also contributed decently with the ball. He owns 45 Test wickets at an average of 39.89. His lone Test fifer came against England in Ashes 2019.
Australia post 487
Opting to bat first, the Aussies were off to a fine start with openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja (41) adding 126 runs. The former further stitched half-century stands with Steve Smith (31) and Travis Head (40). He ended up scoring 164. Marsh's 90 helped the hosts finish at 487 in 113.2 overs. Debutant all-rounder Aamer Jamal starred with a stunning six-wicket haul
