Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Australian star allrounder Mitchell Marsh will bowl in this round of Sheffield Shield as he fills in for Cameron Green, who has a significant back stress fracture and won’t play any cricket this season. Green is having surgery this time in Christchurch and vented his frustration on Instagram by writing, “Heartbroken but let’s get a new back.”
Marsh’s Fitness
Marsh’s fitness became important for Australia, but especially so since Green was injured. Marsh has bowled only four overs since suffering a hamstring tear during the IPL, and that in all only came in the course of the fourth ODI against England last month. In his Shield opener against Queensland, he scored 13 and 94 as a specialist batter, playing mainly in the slips and carrying drinks.
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Good, said Marsh of his preparations for the Shield fixture against Tasmania starting Sunday at the WACA. “I won’t bowl too much for WA; it’s all part of the building process to get ready for that first Test”, he said. He praised Cricket Australia and the coaching staff for their support in his rehabilitation and training.
Upcoming India Challenge
With Australia’s pace attack still the same from last summer and the five-Test series against India, which begins on Dec 26, hardly any less challenging, the potential of Marsh as an allrounder assumes critical importance. Whatever speculations there may have been about being elevated to the opening position apart, Marsh himself said that he was keen to continue supporting the team as an allrounder.
As he noted, “I see the allrounder role as really important, especially when our bowlers need a break. While our allrounders have bowled about 10 to 13 overs per game, those overs can be critical.”
Marsh sympathized with Green who will be sidelined for six months. “It’s a shock at first, but now he is accepting it, so an opportunity has been given to him to come back stronger,” Marsh said.
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