Australian cricketer Mitchell Marsh, who recently found himself embroiled in controversy after a photo surfaced showing him resting his feet on the World Cup trophy, has broken his silence on the matter. Marsh, part of the Australian team that clinched the World Cup by defeating India in the final, faced severe criticism and backlash from Indian fans for his actions.
The controversial photo emerged just a day after Australia’s World Cup triumph, leaving many Indian fans irate. Numerous fans expressed their objection to the act, and even Indian pacer Mohammed Shami voiced his displeasure. To take it a step further, a RTI activist even wrote to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and the Union Sports Ministry, urging them to ban Marsh from playing cricket in India.
In his first public statement regarding the incident, Marsh spoke to the SEN Radio network in Australia. He admitted that he would probably repeat the act if given the chance but clarified that no disrespect was intended in the photo.
“Yeah, probably, to be honest,” Marsh responded when asked if he would repeat the act. “There was obviously no disrespect meant in that photo at all. I haven’t given it too much thought, I haven’t seen a lot on social media even though everyone tells me it’s gone off. There’s nothing in that,” Marsh explained.
While Marsh has returned to Australia, some of his teammates are still in India participating in the five-match T20I series. Marsh expressed his understanding that the series had disrupted their celebrations.
“Yeah, it was pretty outrageous for the guys that had to stay behind,” he acknowledged. “It’s a fine line because we’ve got to respect the fact we’re playing for Australia, and it’s a series against India which is always really big. But there’s also the human side of it; the boys have just won a World Cup and probably deserve to celebrate for a while and get home to their families. It’s an interesting one. You’d hope there’s not too many of those series put on after big tournaments again.”
Several Australian players, including Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, and Sean Abbott, had to remain in India to be part of the T20I squad for the initial three matches before flying back home. Marsh revealed that he celebrated on behalf of these players who stayed behind.
“I celebrated for the six guys who stayed behind; I celebrated for them,” Marsh added.
