Former Australian Test great Greg Chappell has lauded praise on Mitchell Marsh, claiming that the young all-rounder is a Test captain in the making and an all-rounder who has the opportunity to become Australia's Jacques Kallis.
Cricket Australia's esteemed national talent manager Chappell believes that Marsh, who has been held in the highest regard since he was a teenager, is on the verge of greatness.
South African colossus Kallis, a childhood hero of Marsh, has an unrivalled record as an all rounder, with 13,289 runs and 45 Test centuries to his name, as well as nearly 300 wickets.
Kallis is deservedly mentioned in the same league as the legendary all rounder Sir Garfield Sobers, and for Marsh, who made his maiden Test appearance against Pakistan in the UAE, to be considered capable of one day entering their company is a tantalising prospect for Australian cricket, News.com.au reported.
Ahead of Marsh's Test debut against Pakistan in the UAE, captain Michael Clarke had confidently touted the West Australian as a future skipper, and Chappell wholeheartedly agrees.
Chappell said that in the coming years, Marsh would evolve into the all-rounder and leader selectors have dreamed about. He claimed that Marsh is a very special individual with a special talent, adding that the all rounder has the potential to do for Australia what Kallis did for South Africa.
More From This Section
And he added that that is, be a marquee player over a long period of time with both bat and ball.
Chappell claimed that Kallis had a tremendous capacity to get through a career like the South African did with all the batting and the bowling he did, which shows he's obviously got a pretty resilient body and that's what something they hope would be the case with Marsh.
Chappell claimed that if Marsh is, then he would not only be a key player over the next generation, but the all rounder is potentially an Australian captain of the future.