New Delhi, Sep 11 2024-
Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said it is highly unlikely that he will bowl in the upcoming three-match T20I series against England, citing the wealth of all-round options in the visitors’ line-up.
Marsh hasn’t bowled after suffering a hamstring tear during his time with Delhi Capitals in 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). He didn’t bowl at all in Australia’s campaign during this year’s T20 World Cup in June.
But with Australia’s squad having Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie and Marcus Stoinis as seam-bowling options, along with Travis Head and Cooper Connolly having the ability to chip in with a couple of overs of spin-bowling, one won’t be surprised if Marsh doesn’t bowl against England.
“I’m sort of just building. I don’t tend to bowl myself too much, is the honest answer, and we’re lucky that we’ve got plenty of bowling options within our team, so we’ll see how we go. My bowling’s on line: whether or not I bowl, we’ll wait and see. We’ve got heaps of options. I’m always building something,” Marsh was quoted as saying by ICC to reporters in Southampton.
Australia will play the series opener against England at Southampton on Wednesday evening and they arrive after beating Scotland 3-0 in Edinburgh. Marsh felt Australia’s early exit from this year’s Men’s T20 World Cup following defeats to Afghanistan and India seems like it happened a long time ago, as they now build up to creating a team for the 2026 edition of the tournament.
“It was just disappointment: we went there with the hope of winning it, like every other team did, and unfortunately, we didn’t play our best cricket at the right time. In tournament play, that’s what you rely on…there’s a lot of cricket to be played between now and the next World Cup (in 2026) but hopefully I’m there.” (Agency)
