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The West Australian Shaun Marsh is set to miss the cut for the Boxing Day Test, giving fresh hope to under-fire rookie Nic Maddinson. Selectors appeared headed for an agonising decision over

what to do at No.6, but it would seem Maddinson is likely to receive another chance with Marsh’s recovery from surgery taking longer than first thought. Marsh broke his thumb in the first

Test of the summer against South Africa, and officials had long pencilled in the MCG as his likely return date. But medical staff will be taking absolutely no chances and the 33-year-old

won’t be rushed back to Test cricket even if he’s able to prove his fitness for the Perth Scorchers’ season-opening Big Bash League match on December 23 -- which is after the Australian team

assembles in camp. Australia are picking a joint squad for Melbourne and Sydney, but as was shown earlier in the summer -- selectors would be able to call Marsh in for the New Year’s Test

if they felt he had enough cricket under his belt by that point. The out-of-sorts Maddinson can certainly breathe a little easier now it seems Australia will go with an unchanged squad,

after he walked off the Gabba a forlorn figure yesterday following his third consecutive failure in Test cricket. There’s always the possibility selectors could drop Maddinson for another

player, but that scenario would seem completely illogical. At 24 and with the full endorsement of his captain Steve Smith, he is the type of player who deserves time. With a first-class

average of 37, Maddinson was picked on gut instinct for his ability to be a game-breaker. Maddinson has made a duck, one and four in his first three starts, but it hasn’t mattered on the

scoreboard with Australia dominating. There’s a belief among some former Australian players that Maddinson should be given the rest of this Pakistan series before a call is made on his

future. Marsh is integral to Australia’s plans for India and after a chequered past 12 months with injury it would seem they don’t want to rush him back too soon and risk further

complications. Selectors don’t need to see anymore from Marsh, they found out everything they needed to with his Test century in Sri Lanka earlier this year, that he will be a key man in

India. The Cricket Australia board gave an edict to selectors to go with youth after the disastrous Test loss to South Africa, and sacking Maddinson after just two Tests would seem to fly in

the face of that theory. It was hard to blame Maddinson for his soft dismissal when he was caught on the boundary for four, given he was simply following instructions to push the game

forward towards a declaration. That said, the situation should have really suited Maddinson’s free-flowing game and ability to play to all corners of the ground. Maddinson smacked his first

Test boundary, only to fall the very next ball trying to pull one that wasn’t quite there. _- NEWS CORP_ GET THE LATEST NEWS FROM THEWEST.COM.AU IN YOUR INBOX. Sign up for our emails