SELECTORS might have made a backward decision in giving Shaun Marsh yet another lifeline, but the reality is the "future" is not banging down the door.
This summer will paper over most of the cracks, but the lack of depth in Australian cricket is alarming and the quandary that is the Marsh brothers sums up the fragility of a line-up held together by Steve Smith, David Warner and Mitchell Starc. 
Every time a batsman is called up these days, a different explanation is given. For the first Test it was Rod Marsh saying that youth would be favoured in line-ball -decisions.
Now ahead of the third Test, -Darren Lehmann has pointed to the Test experience of Shaun Marsh and -argued that age wasn't a factor in replacing the injured Usman Khawaja.
It's a confusing lottery but one that will continue pulling random numbers out of the hat until convincing options announce themselves.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh, -averaging 24.78 in Test cricket, -deserves more time. But if he can't find form by the end of the summer, match-winning street fighter James Faulkner should be looked at.
"We want him to put some more runs on the board, definitely," -Lehmann said. Shaun Marsh is unbelievably fortunate to have another chance. But the current state of play means if he scores some hundreds on a flat deck in Adelaide or against the West Indies in Hobart, he's not going to fall down the queue any time soon.
"Obviously he was very close in first Test selection, it was touch and go between Uzzie and Shaun Marsh," Lehmann said yesterday.
"Marsh played really well last summer for us and I thought he played quite well in the West Indies when he got his chance as well. It's another chance to have a crack.
"We still want him to prove himself again ... but at the end of the day Shaun Marsh more recently in Test match cricket has made a contribution, so that's the way we've -decided to go.
"I still remember that great hundred he made against South Africa in Centurion." That 2014 series was an awful while ago now, and by picking Shaun Marsh selectors have turned down an opportunity to blood a youngster like Cameron Bancroft, Glenn Maxwell or Marcus Stoinis.
But this was a tough one for Marsh, Lehmann, Mark Waugh and Trevor Hohns - and the fact is players aren't doing them any favours.
There is a feeling that 22-year-old Bancroft just isn't ready for Test cricket. Maxwell's first-class average of 43.6 has him well ahead of rivals, but perhaps after a couple of poor Test appearances the exciting all-rounder has more to prove.The real disappointment isn't the selectors' decision but that in several years no young player has managed to make it for them.