Former Test batsman Marcus North has urged national selectors to keep faith in out-of-form left-hander Shaun Marsh, insisting the 28-year-old will come good as soon as he has overcome his mental blockages.
Marsh has been a shadow of himself since suffering a back injury in South Africa two months ago, posting scores of 0, 0, 3, 0, 11, 3 and 0 in his past seven Test innings.
North knows what it is like being in the selection firing line after his own 21-Test career was brought to an end during last summer's Ashes series.
But the Western Australia captain says Marsh is an immense talent who will soon break free from his mental shackles.
"There's no doubt he's fighting himself more than anything," North said.
"It's such a mental game and it's just a matter of getting that breakthrough innings to get your thinking in the right way and having a bit of confidence.
"It was only a couple of months ago we were all talking about how good his technique was in South Africa.
"That innings he played with Michael Clarke in Cape Town (scoring 44) with the moving wicket was pretty exceptional."
With no more Tests to come before Australia's March-April tour of the West Indies, North says it is up to Marsh to prove his form in the one-day arena after his woeful India series average of 2.83.
"Six innings ago, we were all talking about Shaun Marsh as our first picked and there were comments about (Ricky) Ponting and (Mike) Hussey being dropped," he said.
Cricket Australia's high performance manager Pat Howard says Marsh will never be written off but he refused to be drawn on his short-term future.
"I'm not going to make a call on any individual - that is not my job," Howard told the Nine Network.
"And we never write anybody off. Everybody has got a journey."
AAP
Tags: cricket, sport, perth-6000, wa, australia First posted January 27, 2012 19:26:47
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