Unlucky Marsh in career-best form: Langer

Western Australia coach Justin Langer has lamented the "bad luck" of injury-stricken Shaun Marsh, saying the batsman was in "career-best" form before his latest injury blow.

Recalled to the Australian Test team for the third match against Sri Lanka earlier this year, Marsh struck a brilliant 130 in Colombo before he broke a finger fielding in a one-day match and was ruled out Australia's ODI tour of South Africa.

It was in his second match back that his hamstring injury struck, while batting for Western Australia in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup last Saturday. Clearly hampered for much of his innings, it didn't stop the left-hander from posting a classy 70 against Tasmania at North Sydney Oval.

Marsh was later diagnosed with a "low grade" tear to his right hamstring and immediately returned to Perth for treatment, putting his participation in the first Commonwealth Bank Test against South Africa in doubt.

Bundled out of the Matador Cup by NSW on Wednesday, WA will now host the West End Redbacks in a day-night Sheffield Shield clash next week and with the first Test starting in less than a fortnight, Marsh's fitness status remains an unknown.

"I get the feeling he'll have to play the Shield game to be selected for the Test match," Langer said today at the Perth airport.

"Hopefully that's not the case (but) he's going to have to tick off a few boxes, the normal rehab boxes, and hopefully be right for the Shield game.

"I'm sure the medical staff are doing everything possible to get him up for the Shield game, so he can put his name up for the Test match.

"He's just having such bad luck with these injuries. We saw just before he did it here, he was playing beautifully.

"He's in career-best form. That's the real downside from his point of view.

"I just hope his body can hold up so he's right to play the Shield match then the Test matches."

Marsh has played just nine of Australia's 23 Tests in the past two years, and was famously dropped last summer having scored 182 against the West Indies in Hobart after the return to fitness of Usman Khawaja.

"I was lucky enough to get another opportunity in Sri Lanka and do well, so hopefully that puts me in good stead leading into the summer," Marsh told News Ltd last month.

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 "I’m hungry to keep being really consistent in Test cricket now, which I probably haven’t been in my career to date.

"But to wait for my opportunity and finally get back in the Test team, and then break a finger, which I’ve never done before ... it’s been extremely frustrating.

"I was hoping to go to South Africa, and I was sort of happy to go over there and play with risk.

"We thought the smart decision was to take a few extra weeks and give the finger the full six weeks that it needs to make sure it’s 100 per cent ahead of the summer."

While Shaun is awaiting clearance from medical staff, younger brother and Australia Test allrounder Mitch Marsh is a certain starter for the Shield match, where he will again look to make an impact with the bat.

Langer said the allrounder "looked a bit tired" during the Matador Cup and may have been still suffering the effects of jetlag having only recently returned from South Africa, where Australia's ODI side was beaten 5-0.

"But I'm sure he'll be better for now being back in Australia and getting himself up and ready for the Shield game and getting himself ready for the Test match," Langer said after the allrounder posted scores of 1 and 3 for the Warriors.

"He would have loved to have scored a few runs but hopefully he'll get into some good batting rhythm during the game against South Australia."