Batsman says drinking ban was turning point

Marsh thrilled at ODI call-up

Cricinfo staff

April 1, 2008

	Shaun Marsh's limited-overs form this season brought his long-awaited call-up into the Australia squad © Getty Images

Shaun Marsh has credited Western Australia's decision to suspend him for two matches after a drinking session in November as the wake-up call he needed to set him on the path to his first tour with the national side. Marsh was chosen in Australia's 14-man ODI squad that will visit the West Indies in June following his most prolific domestic season.

The honour seemed a long way off when Marsh and his team-mate Luke Pomersbach were banned by their state after they were seen leaving a Fremantle nightspot in the early hours of a Sunday morning, when they should have been preparing for matches. "It was a big wake up call for me," Marsh told AAP.

"I had fallen back into my old habits of going out. It was the turning point of my career I think. It was very disappointing to get dropped for that reason, and it is something I can look back on now and say was the turning point."

Marsh went on to finish the summer as the Warriors' leading one-day run scorer with 318 at 39.75 and his Pura Cup collection of 663 at 60.27 was also impressive. He topped the competition run tally in the KFC Twenty20 with 290 at 58 and the efforts earned him the prize as Western Australia's Player of the Year.

Marsh, 24, celebrated his elevation to the national setup with his family, including his father Geoff Marsh, the former Australia opening batsman and coach. "It is a dream come true," the younger Marsh said. "I have been dreaming about that phone call for a long time and to actually get it was an amazing feeling.

"It has been a tough road, I have had to work pretty hard this season to get into the position. Dad was in as much shock as I was in, I didn't believe it at the start - but the family were very happy and came round for a champagne."

Marsh spent plenty of time around the Australian dressing-rooms as a child and the experience gave him a glimpse of cricket at the highest level. However, he has also felt the burden of living with a famous name as he tried to establish his own position in the Western Australia top order.

"I have had to live with it for the last seven years I have been in the state squad," Marsh said. "But you learn with it and have to deal with it - it is not a problem now."

© Cricinfo