North Sound [Antigua and Barbuda], June 20 (ANI): Australia captain Mitchell Marsh confirmed that he will be available to bowl during their Super 8 clash against Bangladesh at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
The Australian skipper hasn’t taken up the responsibility with the ball after picking up a hamstring injury during his time with the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League 2024.
Last week, Australia head coach Andrew McDonald hinted about Marsh returning to take up his duties with the ball.
On the eve of thier Super 8 clash, Marsh confirmed that he is fit to bowl but doesn’t see the need for him to do so because of their star-studded line-up.
“I’ll be available to bowl, yeah. With the line-up that we’ve got, I don’t necessarily see a need for me to bowl, but I think it’s really important in this format to have options, and we are blessed with plenty of those,” Marsh said in the pre-match press conference.
In Marsh’s absence, Marcus Stoinis stepped up to fulfil the duties. While playing an important role, Stoinis delivered match-winning performances for the Baggy Greens throughout the group stage.
With Marsh available, Australia will have a wide variety of bowling options depending on the combination they try to put on.
During their clash against Scotland, Australia used spinners for 12 overs and pacers for the remaining eight. If they once again field the same combination, Marsh could provide another option in the seamers department.
“Yeah, actually physically feel good. It’s always nice to have a bit of a break from bowling, and I often joke about that, but yeah – Stoin and I often talk about it as all-rounders, we love being in the game. And as I said before, it’s really important in this format with some of the teams that are coming up against us to have as many options as we possibly can,” he added.
He has captained Australia four times in the ongoing tournament, and they are yet still unbeaten.
While talking about his time as Australia captain, Marsh admitted that he has enjoyed it and feels lucky to have an “incredible group”.
“Oh, look I’ve thoroughly enjoyed it. As I’ve said multiple times, I feel very lucky with the group that we’ve got, the amount of experience we’ve got within our team and also our staff. We’ve got an incredible group of staff that help us prepare as best we can and that certainly makes my job a lot easier,” Marsh stated.
Australia T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa.
Travelling Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short. (ANI)
