Shaun Marsh’s mode of dismissal in Sydney Test left Ricky Ponting worried

His brother Mitchell has already been in the firing line over his form in Test cricket and has been in and out of the Australian side in the ongoing series against India. Now, his elder brother Shaun Marsh has also come under the scanner concerning his poor form in the series even if he was considered one of the main pillars of the hosts’ otherwise brittle-looking batting.

Shaun, who has averaged a mere 18 in 19 Tests since scoring a century against England about a year ago, has failed to score 200 runs in the current series and his mode of dismissal in the first innings of the fourth Test in Sydney left former Australia captain Ricky Ponting worried. The 35-year-old southpaw nicked an unassuming delivery from spinner Ravindra Jadeja to Ajinkya Rahane in the first slip for just eight. The batsman, who has scored just one fifty in seven innings, let his team down when it needed him the most one more time.

“He’s averaging 34 in Test cricket and at his best he’s very good. We saw again today he started nice and positively and hit two really good cover drives and then it’s just the ball that doesn’t do anything that gets him out,” Ponting was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au.

“You’d even sit back and question why he thought he had to play at that delivery. It was a fair way outside off stump and wasn’t like it was going to spin back square and challenge his off stump, so why (did he) need to play at it.”

Ponting impressed with Harris, Khawaja and Labuschagne

The former Australia captain, one of the best the game of cricket has seen, said there is a “question mark” over Shaun’s place in the Test team, the likes of Marcus Harris who made an impressive debut in this series, the seasoned Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne who was recalled for the Sydney Test looked certain for the Ashes scheduled in August.

While Khawaja opened the innings in Sydney with Harris (79) and scored 27, Labuschagne contributed 38 at No.3. Australia were 236 for 6 at stumps on Day 3 in reply to India’s mammoth 622 for 7 declared.

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