Mitch Marsh’s strong performances during Australia’s recent tours of the Caribbean and Bangladesh have put him in prime position to claim the number three slot for Australia in the ICC World Cup.
Marsh was the stand out batter for Australia in the ten T20 Internationals played during the winter tour, making 375 runs - including four half-centuries - at an average of 37.5 and a strike rate of 124.7, and he has been given a strong indication by team management that he will play in the top order during the World Cup.
“I dare say that if I play in this tournament I'll be listed at number three,” said Marsh. “But I think the beauty of our squad is that from three to six, or even seven, all of us can float and it’ll just be a matter of game situation and who we think is best to go in next.
“So, yeah, I think I'll be at the top, if I do play, but you know it's about being adaptable and being able to float with the guys that we've got coming after me.”
If Marsh does bat at three it opens an intriguing question of Steve Smith’s place in the eleven, particularly if the in-form Glenn Maxwell bats at four.
Since recovering from an elbow injury, Smith has played just two IPL matches for the Delhi Capitals, making scores of 39 and 9, and he has played no other competitive cricket since April’s suspended IPL.
Conditions in the UAE will feature heavily in selectors’ minds and Marsh has worked hard on his ability to play spin over the past six months and, with the goal of improving his strike rotation and scoring areas, he sought advice from Adam Zampa ahead of the West Indies series.
“I just asked him sort of where he would bowl to me, to try and stop me from scoring,” Marsh said. “So I think if I try nullifying balls and doing that, and get the game a bit more on my terms when playing against spin, it becomes a little bit easier and you can get more boundary options.
“And I've watched guys like Marcus Stoinis, who uses the crease unbelievably well, getting back and hitting guys over deep mid wicket off the back foot for six and I think. when you start playing shots like that, then you get more balls in your area to look down the ground.
“It’s just trying to sequence, get better at sequencing, playing against spinners and we're very fortunate that we've got two world class spinners in our team that we face every day.
“Obviously in those conditions we know we're going to get a lot of spin and me, personally, I will.
“So it's just about trying to learn, get better and have a few more boundary options, certainly in the powerplay.”
While several players in the World Cup squad elected to rejoin their IPL franchises after opting out of Australia’s most recent white-ball tour, Marsh chose a different route, withdrawing from this year’s tournament in which he was picked up by Sunrisers Hyderabad.
In his only appearance since the Bangladesh tour, Marsh made a century in Western Australia’s Marsh Cup victory over South Australia and he believes he is going into the World Cup with a refreshed body and mind.
“I just feel really well prepared and, ultimately, you can't control what happens on the day but I know that if I go into a game prepared that holds me in good stead to go out there and just play the game and that's all I'm focusing on at the moment so that's helped me in the recent series and hopefully it'll help me go into this World Cup.”
Marsh also indicated that, while he hasn’t made a final decision, he is unlikely to return to captaining the Perth Scorchers in this summer’s BBL.
Marsh temporarily handed over the captaincy to Ashton Turner in last season’s tournament, when he returned from a serious ankle injury, but enjoyed focussing on his own game so much that Turner remained captain for the entire season.
“I certainly enjoyed last year, having the Big Bash and just playing the game and supporting Ashton Turner as much as I could so, yeah, I'll make a decision over the next little while before the Big Bash starts and I look forward to playing for the Scorchers,” said Marsh. “I think captaining T20s is very hard and I certainly found it challenging at times throughout the first couple of years of my captaincy, especially as an all rounder and bowling and knowing when to bowl yourself, it can be difficult at times.
“So last year, to step aside and just focus on playing the game, I think that really helped me and most importantly helped help the Scorchers out and help the team out so I'm sure Ashton will do a great job.”
