Australia’s skipper Mitchell Marsh will only play as a batter in the T20 World Cup opener against Oman on June 6, as he recovers from a hamstring injury.
Australia’s captain Mitchell Marsh will not bowl in the T20 World Cup opener against Oman on June 6. Marsh, who is still recovering from a hamstring injury picked up during the IPL, will only play as a batter. Despite participating in warm-up games against Namibia and the West Indies, Marsh did not field for the entire bowling innings in either match, with Matthew Wade stepping in as captain.
McDonald, Australia’s head coach, mentioned that Marsh’s participation in the warm-ups was to assess his physical condition. Marsh showed improvement by fielding more overs in the second warm-up game and appears ready for the first match.
“For Mitch, (the warm-up games) was about ticking off where his body was at. He fielded more overs tonight (in the warm-up against West Indies), he was able to move more freely, so he’s building a little bit of confidence there. It looks as though he’s all set for the first game,” McDonald told cricket.com.au.
“The second part is just when the bowling comes back online… it won’t be the first game,” he added.
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In a recent warm-up game, Australia faced the West Indies with a depleted squad, missing key players like Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, and Travis Head, all of whom were yet to join the team. This absence was keenly felt as Australia lost by 35 runs.
Coach Andrew McDonald explained that the squad’s late assembly was planned, acknowledging that the team wouldn’t be complete until the beginning of the next month. He outlined that there are strategies in place to integrate the team, finalize plans for the Oman game, and prepare for the subsequent match against England on June 9.
McDonald further expressed confidence in the team’s cohesion and experience, stating that if they weren’t already familiar with each other, the preparation would have been different.
“We feel as though we have plenty of time to bring that group together. It’s a familiar group, they’ve played a lot together. If they hadn’t played a lot together then the prep might have looked different. We feel comfortable though as they know how to play with each other. It will just be finalising the XIs for the games, and the balances that we want. We’ve got plenty of options,” he concluded.
Last Updated on May 31, 2024
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