Mitch Marsh on picking up bowling duties for Australia with the absence of Cameron Green and lack of genuine all-rounders.
Mitch Marsh will bowl in the upcoming Sheffield Shield round as he prepares to help cover Cameron Green’s absence.
The significance of Marsh’s fitness and his ability to resume bowling for Australia has increased since it was revealed that Green will miss the entire season owing to a stress fracture in his back.
Green posted on Instagram, saying, “Heartbroken but let’s get a new back.” Green was on his way to Christchurch for surgery.
It has been doubtful whether Marsh, who turns 33 on Sunday, is physically capable of enduring the demands of bowling. Marsh has bowled just four overs since hurting his hamstring during the IPL, and that was during the fourth One-Day International against England at Lord’s last month.
Against Queensland at the WACA last week in their drawn Shield opener, Marsh scored 13 and 94 as a specialist batter for Western Australia. He spent the majority of his time in the slips while in the field, occasionally assisting with the drink carrying.
However, Marsh reported feeling “really good” physically as he prepares to bowl more against Tasmania in the Shield match, which gets underway at the WACA on Sunday.
“I won’t bowl too much for WA. It’s all part of the building process to get ready for that first Test,” Marsh told reporters in Perth at the launch of the 2025-26 Ashes fixtures. “It’s been a slow build. I’ve been really well looked after by Cricket Australia. Ronnie [Australia coach Andrew McDonald] and Patty [Pat Cummins], with our planning and when I bowl.
“I love bowling, so I’m looking forward to bowling for Western Australia this week and build from there.”
It is expected that the five-Test series against India would be much more demanding. This makes Marsh’s ability to offer support even more crucial.
Australia’s selectors will probably call in an opener instead of a like-for-like replacement for Green since Steven Smith will drop back to No. 4. There is encouragement for Marsh’s ascent to the top of the order. This especially from renowned Australian hitter Greg Chappell, who is following in the footsteps of his father Geoff and brother Shaun.
But Marsh dispelled the notion with his focus firmly on contributing as an allrounder and he did not put a cap on how many overs he could bowl in the Tests. “Once you’re in the field of battle, you bowl as many overs as the captain needs you to bowl,” he said.
“I see the allrounder role as being really important, especially for when our bowlers need a bit of a break. I think if you look back at the last few seasons, our allrounders have bowled maybe 10 to 13 overs a game, which is not really a lot.
“But those 10 to 13 overs can be really important. So for me, it’s about preparing to bowl as much as I can, as much as Patty needs me to.”