Former Australia coach Mickey Arthur believes promising allrounder Mitch Marsh is ready to succeed in the Test arena if given the chance.
Marsh is in line to make his Test debut during next month's two-match encounter against Pakistan after producing some sparkling knocks for Australia during their one-day series against Zimbabwe and South Africa.
Although Marsh's hot form earned him a call-up to the Test squad, he is likely to have to bide his time behind No.1 allrounder Shane Watson before getting his chance to shine.
Arthur, who oversaw Marsh's development during his stint as Warriors coach, felt the 22-year-old would thrive when the opportunity to play Test cricket finally comes his way.
"There's no doubt he's ready to play now," Arthur said.
"Technically he's good enough. He bats and bowls, so he gives balance.
"I see no reason why he won't be successful if he's thrown in right now.
"We always knew that Mitchell at some stage was going to play Test cricket for Australia.
"He's on the cusp, and he's just got to keep working hard.
"I've taken particular interest in it and been really happy for him because I know the amount of work he's put into it."
Although Marsh is edging closer towards achieving his childhood dream, his immediate focus is on helping the Perth Scorchers make a big impact at the Twenty20 Champions League in India.
The Scorchers enter the tournament as rank underdogs after netting just one win from their previous two visits, but Marsh's explosiveness could help Justin Langer's outfit cause a few upsets,
Langer felt Marsh was ready to make a big impact at the tournament, with the Scorchers to kick off their campaign against the Dolphins on Saturday.
"He's still a very young man, but now he's got four years of first-class cricket behind him, which is gold," Langer said.
"I felt even before his success in Zimbabwe that it was time for him to shine.
"He's played 30 or 40 Shield games, and he's played a fair bit of one-day cricket.
"It's time for him to step up, and he knows that. He did that with the Australian cricket team.
"He's matured a lot both on and off the field, and because of that he's starting to get rewarded."
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