Australian captain Mitch Marsh’s unwavering policy of fielding first upon winning the toss has come under scrutiny following a heavy 98-run defeat to South Africa. His decision to send the Proteas in to bat backfired as conditions later favored the spinners.
Marsh, who has now chosen to field in all 21 tosses he has won as captain, put South Africa in on a Cairns pitch that looked good for batting. The visitors capitalized, posting a strong 8-296, a total that proved to be more than enough.
As the game progressed, the pitch began to offer more assistance to the spinners. This played directly into the hands of South Africa’s Keshav Maharaj, who ripped through the Australian middle order with 5-33. Chasing under lights on a turning track proved to be a fatal combination for the hosts.
While Marsh himself batted superbly for 88, the result raises questions about the inflexibility of his strategy. Had Australia batted first, they might have been the ones applying pressure with their own spinners in the second innings.
