Mitchell Marsh’s tour of India ended in the worst possible manner for him. The Australia all-rounder had a poor outing in the first two Tests, where he managed to score just 48 runs and failed to take any wicket before a shoulder injury ended his hopes of making amends in the following games. Consequently, he underwent a surgery and is now undergoing rehabilitation.
His road to recovery, nevertheless, has been a good one. Despite being away from the game for over six months, the all-rounder has now been named the captain of Western Australia for the upcoming domestic season. Marsh also used the time to improve his defense to thrive in the longest format of the game.
“Adding a really strong defence to my game is probably the one thing I wanted to work on,” he said on The Unplayable Podcast on Thursday (September 14). “I think, while you always want to be attacking, in the longer format you’ve got to be able to keep the good balls out and that’s clearly something I haven’t been able to do in the last 12 months. So I’ve worked on that… hopefully that will hold me in good stead.”
Marsh’s absence had allowed Australia to try out Glenn Maxwell and Hilton Cartwright at number 6 and with no Test scheduled before the Ashes in summer, it is likely that the duo will be preferred ahead of Marsh. However, the newly-appointed Western Australia skipper believes the allrounder’s spot is still up for grabs.
“It’s pretty open right now,” Marsh said when asked of Australia’s pecking order for the position. “Realistically I’m probably going to be pushing it for that (first Ashes Test) because I haven’t even started bowling yet. I don’t really like to compare myself to other all-rounders. At the end of the day, if you’re scoring enough runs and taking wickets, you’re going to get looked at as the all-rounder. That’s the only thing I can control.
“I’d be lying if I said it (the Ashes) wasn’t in the back of my mind every day. For me, my biggest goal right now is to be the best leader I can for Western Australia. My only currency right now is runs and wickets, so that’s all I’m focusing on. If I do that, everything else will take care of itself,” added Marsh who averages 21.74 after 21 Tests with just two fifty-plus innings in 35 innings.
Before the Ashes, Marsh will have a chance to impress the selectors in the Sheffield Shield. The three rounds of Sheffield Shield that will be played before the first Ashes Test will be crucial in determining Marsh’s fate.
When asked about his shoulder, he said:
“My shoulder’s close. I’m obviously back batting now and I’ll play for Western Australia at the start of the season for a while just as a batsman until I get my shoulder strong enough to be able to bowl and throw.
“It’s going really well. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed a bit of time at home, as hard as it’s been to watch cricket. We’ve had a chance to get away from the game a little bit and really re-focus my goals. It’s obviously going to be a huge summer. Not just for me, but for Western Australia and Australia. I’m really looking forward to it now,” he added.