Australia skipper Marsh looking to take backseat as bowler during England T20Is
Sep 11, 2024
Southampton [UK], September 11 : Australian skipper Mitchell Marsh is not expecting to bowl during the three-match T20I series against England starting on Wednesday, saying that the team has plenty of bowling options, including all-rounders and part-timers who can deliver some quality spin/pace bowling.
Marsh is expected to stay focused on his role as a batter in the T20I series, given Australia's wealth of bowling and all-rounder options against England.
Marsh has not bowled in international cricket since suffering a hamstring tear during his time in the Indian Premier League (IPL) earlier this year with Delhi Capitals (DC).
The Australian squad is packed with all-round talent, including Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie and Marcus Stoinis for seam bowling, while Travis Head and Cooper Connolly add spin-bowling variety.
"I am sort of just building. I do not tend to bowl myself too much, is the honest answer, and we are lucky that we have got plenty of bowling options within our team, so we will see how we go. My bowling's on line: whether or not I bowl, we will wait and see. We have got heaps of options. I am always building something," said Marsh, as quoted by ICC.
Australia's T20I captain did not bowl during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and the West Indies, where the team was eliminated in the Super 8 stage.
The recently concluded T20I series against Scotland marked Australia's first appearance in the shortest format since that major tournament.
The visitors dominated the series, chasing down 156 in under 10 overs in the first T20I, posting a formidable 196 in the second game and comfortably reaching the target of 150 in just 16.1 overs in the third match, completing a 3-0 clean sweep over Scotland.
Reflecting on Australia's exit from the T20 World Cup following defeats to Afghanistan and India, Marsh remarked, "It feels like a lifetime ago now, that T20 World Cup.
"It was just disappointment: we went there with the hope of winning it, like every other team did, and unfortunately, we did not play our best cricket at the right time. In tournament play, that is what you rely on...there is a lot of cricket to be played between now and the next World Cup [in 2026], but hopefully I am there," he added.
Australia will take on England in a T20I series, starting Wednesday in Southampton. This will be followed by a five-match ODI series.
