Australia’s Captain Declares Fitness Ahead of T20 World Cup
Mitch Marsh, the captain of the Australian cricket team, has confirmed his readiness for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Marsh, an all-rounder, suffered a hamstring injury during the early stages of the Indian Premier League. His last game was in April for the Delhi Capitals against the eventual champions, Kolkata Knight Riders, where he did not score.
With the T20 World Cup commencing in less than a week, Marsh joined his teammates for training in Trinidad on Sunday. He is expected to be fit for their tournament opener against Oman in Barbados on June 5.
“It’s been a slow recovery, but I’m finally there now and looking forward to the tournament,” Marsh told Cricket Australia.
Marsh explained that the injury was initially expected to heal in three weeks. However, tendon injuries can take longer to heal and are dependent on how the player feels.
“Once I was ruled out of the IPL, we took our time to ensure I fully recovered. I feel fortunate to have had some extra time at home to refresh,” Marsh added.
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Marsh is set to participate in Australia’s warm-up fixture against Namibia on Tuesday. However, he will only play as a batter and will not return to bowling just yet.
“I’ll start bowling soon. For now, I’ll get through these practice games as a batter and then we’ll ramp it up. But as captain, I don’t have to bowl myself. We’re fortunate to have so many options with the ball and so much talent, like Stoin (Marcus Stoinis) and Greenie (Cameron Green). Our planning allows me to be clear on that. I’ll bowl when necessary, but the team always comes first,” Marsh noted.
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The composition of Australia’s XI for their warm-up fixture against Namibia remains uncertain. Several key players will not arrive in the West Indies until later in the week due to their participation in the Indian Premier League final on Sunday.
Opener Travis Head and fast bowlers Pat Cummins and Mitch Starc, who all featured in the IPL title decider, will return to Australia for some rest before joining their teammates in the Caribbean. Travelling reserves Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short are also yet to arrive.
“The guys have been at the IPL and have been playing a lot of cricket, so we’ve prioritised giving them a couple of days at home to see their family, refresh and play the long game for this tournament. We’re going to be undermanned a little bit (against Namibia), but it is a practice game. The guys that need to play will play as much as they can and we’ll figure it out from there,” Marsh said.
Australia Squad:
Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short