Cricket: Marsh the next unlucky centurion?

Shaun Marsh celebrates scoring his century against the West Indies. Photo / Getty

There are a number of similarities between Rodney Redmond and Shaun Marsh.

Both left handers who usually opened the batting and strong fielders, they call Western Australia home although Redmond was in the New Zealand colours for his solitary test in 1973.

Redmond made 107 and 56 at Eden Park against Pakistan, was picked for the tour to England later that year and failed to get a turn. Trouble with some new contact lens and little form saw him pushed aside for John Parker who teamed up with Glenn Turner.

Redmond's son Aaron played 8 tests for New Zealand in a five year stint with a top score of 83.

Marsh's younger brother Mitchell is an all-rounder in the Australian side dealing to the West Indies while their father Geoff was an opener who played 50 tests for Australia.

Marsh's selection in the Australian side has been fitful with injury then form limiting his involvement to 17 tests since his debut five years ago.

His last two test innings were gold though, 49 under extreme pressure against New Zealand to steer Australia to victory in the day-night test at Adelaide then 182 in the first test against the West Indies in Hobart.

However with the return from injury of Usman Khawaja and the selectors wish to retain some top order continuity with Joe Burns partnering David Warner, Shaun Marsh was cut from the starting XI playing the W Indies in Melbourne.

Burns and Warner average about 80 as an opening pair and have been involved in three partnerships of more than 100 and the selectors wanted to build on that foundation for their February test visit to New Zealand.

So Marsh was squeezed out like Phil Jaques in 2008 when he became the last player to be dropped from the Australian side after making a century in his final innings.

There was no return for Rodney Redmond or Jaques but Marsh will look at his history of recalls and figure he's only an injury or a lick of poor form away from another.