Marsh has been really good at 3 and opening, he shouldn't be moved.
1. Head
2. Marsh
3. Smith
4. Green
5. Maxwell
6. Short/Hardie
7. Inglis
8. Cummins (C)
9. Starc
10. Zampa
11. Hazlewood
Reality is both Smith and Marsh are pretty long shot at being in the squad next World Cup, same with Maxwell. Smith has the highest chance but still not necessarily awesome odds.
Champions trophy is a good chance to continue to develop without giving much of a **** about actually winning the thing. Smith gives a lot of confidence to Green by being right behind him imo. Marsh has been awesome don’t get me wrong but we have now entered a period whether for better or worse for immediate results Green has to bat 3 and IMO you need a pair of openers that will go through to the next WC. Marsh has a career that suggests he goes through waves of being good enough to play for Australia, at the age of 36 I’m going to back that he isn’t in this side anymore. Therefore he can bat 5 when full strength and from time to time when tactical input is required he can bat opener, 3 or wherever. I’d still have him 3 in t20 side as we still have a World Cup this year.
You got to start making moves towards the future and if it means he bats 5 than so be it. He only has 2 years of goodwill and sorry but Mitch Marsh’s feelings of batting 5 aren’t enough for us to be dog shit when he is sitting on the couch retired. We have just as well a balanced squad that will be better prepared in the future with him not batting in the top 4.
Green has to bat 3 cause he is the only one you can guarantee will be there that has the skillset to do so. Smith can bat 4 to help him along (definitely won’t bat 3 and Green 4 when they have been doing the opposite). Marsh can bat 5 in that he can go extra aggressive or formulate an innings. I have Short at 6 more so for his bowling ability in Pakistan and come the end of that Hardie can take Maxi’s spot or vice versa if Hardie is in the team over Short (no point playing him when he will be 39 next WC). I think the beauty of the side is this way you have aggression at the start, composed accumulators through the next 2 and if you need to reshuffle so that you can go ultra aggressive you have the cavalry there to do so. Perfectly balanced one day side. We also have a sustainable future in this format this way.
Marsh can interchange anywhere through the top 7 and he should be tactically used that way rather than being locked down into the top 4 somewhere and us being fucked in yet another format when our opener/first drop retire or turn to shit a year or two out from the WC.
It seems pretty clear to me they have no intention of opening Marsh in one day cricket and I think the side has gotten to the point where they have to go all in on Green and if that means batting him at 3 in ODI and 4 at test that’s what has to happen.
Sure he has won us a fair few important games over the last few years batting top order but he can continue to influence games from 5 and have players ready and able to win us crucial games down the track.