South African veteran Herschelle Gibbs believes Perth Scorchers team-mate Mitch Marsh is capable of becoming one of the world's premier all-rounders after a shining display in the KFC T20 Big Bash League (BBL).
Marsh played a vital role in the Scorchers' run to the BBL final, which they ultimately lost to the Sydney Sixers, scoring a team-high 309 runs at an average of 51.50 while also taking three wickets while conceding a respectable 8.16 an over.
That performance helped see the 20-year-old named in Australia's squad for the KFC Twenty20 internationals against India, while he will also join the one-day group for the third game of the Commonwealth Bank Series.
Gibbs, who played most of his international career alongside two of the world's best all-rounders in Shaun Pollock and Jacques Kallis, said the younger Marsh brother had more than impressed him.
"He's got all the ingredients to become a really good all-rounder," he said.
"Once he gets a bit of experience as an international cricketer you'll start seeing how far he can go."
"He's got the ingredients, it's just how he's nurtured. He's got good experienced players around him and that will obviously help him."
"I just told him that if he can work on his rotation in his initial part of his innings he could adapt a lot quicker and improve his all-round ability."
"If he can do that, he's shown he can punish any sort of bowler at the back end of his innings."
Gibbs also enjoyed an outstanding BBL campaign for Perth, blasting 302 runs from seven matches at a strike rate of 151 as he helped the Scorchers qualify for the Champions League.
While his availability for that tournament depends on his other Twenty20 commitments, Gibbs said he hoped to be able to play for Perth in India and again in the BBL next season.
"I'm actually sad that it's finished, but hopefully it's just temporary. There's no doubt I'd love to come back and I'm sorry that it's ended," he said.
"I really enjoyed my time here. They've got a wonderful coach, a great captain and a really gelled team."
"The body seems good enough, I'm still hungry, I'm enjoying it now more than ever ... so hopefully I can do that for another three or four years."
