Cricket: Once is never enough in test match arena

By RICHARD BOOCK

Hamish Marshall, the surprise package of the New Zealand one-day side, could be back in the test team by the end of the year.

The enigmatic Northern Districts batsman played his maiden test against South Africa in 2000 before being discarded, and eventually made it back to the international arena last season - albeit in the shorter game.

His results since then have been remarkable - 20 innings, 740 runs, an average of 46.25, a maiden hundred and seven half-centuries, meaning he is scoring 50 runs or more almost every time he walks to the wicket.

And what's made the success even more astonishing is the fact that he's struggled consistently at domestic level, has yet to score a first-class century, and has a fairly mediocre State Shield record.

For all that, the question now being asked is whether Marshall can replicate his ODI performance in the test arena, possibly in time for either the upcoming tour of Bangladesh, or the much more demanding series in Australia.

Certainly, there will at least be one vacancy.

Chris Cairns has retired from the longer game and, rather than attempting to discover a replacement, the selectors may well opt to blood another batsman and rely on allrounder Jacob Oram to provide the balance.

That, combined with Stephen Fleming's enthusiasm to open the innings in tandem with Mark Richardson, means Marshall could easily be brought into the middle-order or even tested at No 3 - where he has enjoyed so much success in the ODI game.

The 24-year-old right hander said he wasn't counting his chickens over a test recall, but would be desperate to take his opportunity if he received the nod.

"I'd love the chance," he said. "I'd definitely get stuck into it, because I did enjoy my one test at Johannesburg - it was a fantastic experience for me.

"The thing is, playing ODI cricket has given me some invaluable international experience and I'm probably more confident as a first-class player because of what's happened in the past year. The one-dayers have definitely given me a lot more confidence."

However, Marshall said the main emphasis was to concentrate on maintaining his intensity in the shorter game, as he was conscious of not looking too far ahead and becoming distracted by future possibilities.

"I'd always look forward to the chance of challenging myself at test level again. But I don't think I could just expect success. I worked hard for my ODI chance and I'm sure I'd have to work equally as hard, if not harder, in the test arena."

And if Marshall was able to succeed in the test environment, he wouldn't be the first New Zealand player to reach a higher level of performance for his country than for his province.

Former New Zealand captain Jeremy Coney is probably the best remembered for the feat, the Wellington batsman often struggling on the provincial circuit despite managing to transform himself into a well-regarded test player.

Marshall has heard most of the theories regarding his startling transformation at international level, but believes the reason lies in a combination of factors, rather than one dramatic influence.

He agreed that the superior international pitch surfaces might better suit his game, that his proficiency off the back-foot was better suited to international bowling, and that the New Zealand team environment was more conducive to elite performance.

"The pitches are better, and what's more they're consistently better - and I definitely think that theory has some substance," he said. "I do like to play the cut, use the pace of the ball, work it around a bit, and a good surface is important for that."

However, Marshall reckoned that possibly the biggest influence on his game so far had been the New Zealand team's stable and well-organised environment, something that helped him develop and added value to his game.

"It's a great scene to be part of right now. The senior players are performing and when you're one of the new guys, that sort of thing helps a lot. I couldn't think of a better way to come into international cricket."

He didn't do too badly on the 2000 tour to South Africa either, even though his unbeaten 40 at the Wanderers was curtailed by rain, and he didn't receive another call from the national selectors for more than three years.

Drafted into the team after the shock withdrawal of Craig Spearman on the eve of the third test at Johannesburg, Marshall made his debut in highly unenviable circumstances - on a Wanderers greentop, and against pacemen Mfuneko Ngam and Makhaya Ntini.

Scratchy and nervous at first, he gradually settled down to defy the South African pace attack for 174 minutes while compiling a courageous and unbeaten 40.

Probably the most difficult time for Marshall was at the end of the tour, when he began what would become a three-year hiatus away from the international scene, and the start of a bleak run of form.

"It was really difficult and very frustrating," he said. "I was trying my hardest but nothing seemed to happen, and I was worried about wasting my chances - of letting everything pass me by.

"When I look back, I was probably just trying too hard and putting too much pressure on myself. Sometimes you can just push too hard when you really need to be relaxing a bit, and I'm sure that was part of my problem.

"But I don't regret anything, and have no reason to. I've enjoyed playing cricket at all levels, and that's been the key to any success I've had. It's been a tremendous experience."