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Bailey excited by all-round options

Tasmanian excited by prospect of Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner playing together in all formats

The curtain may have been drawn on Shane Watson's Test career, but George Bailey believes the all-round talents of Mitchell Marsh and James Faulkner still leave Australian cricket in incredible shape.

Watson hung up the boots on Sunday in London, retiring after 59 Tests and a career that spanned more than a decade.

Watson reveals why he called time on his Test career

While Watson fell out of favour during Australia's Ashes campaign, having been dropped following the opening Test defeat in Cardiff, his exit still leaves an enormous gap - both in terms of experience and ability.

After stepping into Watson's shoes during the Ashes, 23-year-old Marsh showed enough with both the bat and, in particular, the ball to suggest he could be Watson's long-term successor.

He has since produced two important and contrasting knocks to help Australia win the opening two matches of the one-day series against England.

If his grafting support role in Southampton, in which he scored an unbeaten 40 as part of a match-winning 112-run partnership with Matthew Wade, showed Marsh's ability to knuckle down, his Lord's blitz reminded everyone of the West Australian's brutal hitting power.

Watch: Marsh pummels England at Lord's (restrictions apply)

"(Marsh's Southampton innings) was really mature, and the flipside of that is when he's seeing the ball a touch better, like he was (on Saturday), he's crunching it," said Bailey, speaking prior to Watson's announcement on Sunday.

"He's getting more and more confident with his body in terms of the way he bowls the ball - he takes key wickets for us - so he's becoming a really complete cricketer for us.

"He's a good thinker about the game and he's going to be a great leader."

Faulkner played his one and only Test to date alongside Watson during the 2013 Ashes, but his role as the finisher in the one-day format has made him one of Australia's first-picked in ODI cricket.

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Marsh and Faulkner, 25, are both more than capable seam-bowling options and have the potential to bat in the middle order.

"As far as the two of them go, how exciting would it be if they can be playing in the same team in all formats?" Bailey said.

"I think, going forward, that's going to be a great option.

"The challenge is laid down to Jimmy (Faulkner). I'm sure the selectors want a few more runs from him, to show that he can find a way to bat somewhere in that top six or seven.

"Certainly his bowling is good enough (for Tests), and for one-day and Twenty20 he fits in both of them comfortably."