Mitchell Marsh has insisted that he is not putting too much pressure on himself after taking another step towards securing a place in Australia's side for The Ashes.

The all-rounder scored his second century of the tour by reaching three figures on the first day of the match against Essex, while Shane Watson also managed to record a fluent half-century as reports continue to suggest that the two players are competing for one of the places in the team.

However, Marsh claims that he is just thankful to have made the trip as he waits to hear whether he will be selected for next week's first Test in Cardiff.

"It has been a nice start to the tour, and it is great to contribute to this team and hopefully I can continue to do so," he told Sky Sports News.

"I am certainly not putting any pressure on myself, at the end of the day it does not matter where you bat or where you bowl, if you take enough wickets and make enough runs, the selectors are going to pick you at some stage.

"I am just enjoying it, it is a privilege to be on this tour."

Marsh has hit one half-century in his Test appearances.