(Reuters) – Joining a select group that was last represented more than a decade ago, two brothers will play alongside each other in the same Australia test side after Shaun and Mitchell Marsh were named to face India yesterday.
Shaun, 31, will make his 10th test appearance after being recalled for the first time since February to replace injured skipper Michael Clarke in the second contest of the four-match series starting at the Gabba in Brisbane today.
Mitchell, eight years his junior, will play his fourth test after making his debut in October.
“It’s a great feeling. Me and Mitch have obviously talked about this for a long time,” Shaun told reporters yesterday.
The siblings join a small band of brothers to have worn the baggy green cap in the same match. It’s a family tradition that dates right back to the first ever test, between Australia and England in 1877 when Dave and Ned Gregory played together.
The most recent brothers to play a test for Australia were Steve and Mark Waugh, who played the last of their 108 tests together in 2002.
The most famous were the Chappell brothers, Ian and Greg. They played 43 tests together in the 1970s and both captained Australia.
Their younger brother Trevor also played for Australia but not in the same test match as his older brothers, while their grandfather Victor Richardson captained Australia in the 1930s.
The Marsh brothers also have another famous family member. Their father Geoff played 50 tests for Australia as an opening batsman and was also a national coach and selector.
“As a parent, you just hope they do the best they possibly can. Tomorrow, they’ll walk out there and it’ll be a really proud moment,” Geoff told AAP.
Despite their shared bloodlines, Shaun and Mitchell are very different players.
Shaun is a left-handed top order batsman, with two centuries to his credit, while Mitchell is a right-handed all-rounder, a powerful middle-order batsman and seam bowler.
“It’s great to be out here now and great to be out there together playing the Gabba test tomorrow (Wednesday),” Shaun said
“He’s definitely my little brother, even though he might be little taller than me, I can still boss around him a little bit. We’re looking forward to it and it’s going to be a lot of fun.”
Australia lead the series 1-0 after securing a thrilling 48-run victory in Adelaide on Saturday.