Mitchell Marsh 'physically ready' to bowl in Green's absence for AUS vs IND Tests
Mitchell Marsh has kept himself open for bowling for the upcoming Border Gavaskar Trophy series between Australia and India. Marsh deemed himself physically fit to bowl and manage the bowling workload in Cameron Green’s absence, who was ruled out of the series. Green will miss the summer after deciding to opt for the surgery on his back that troubled him lately. Green will miss the entire five-Test series against India and the Test tour of Sri Lanka for his radical surgery to fix stress fractures in his back.
“I love bowling. I see the all-rounder role 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 all-rounders 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 (Cummins) needs me to,” Marsh told Cricket.com.au.
Cameron Green ruled out
Green batted at No. 4 during the Test series against West Indies earlier this year. Hence, now Steve Smith, who opened for Australia as David Warner’s replacement, will drop back to his usual batting spot at No. 4. Marsh will shoulder a bigger bowling load this summer.
“Physically I’m feeling really good. I’ve been really well looked after.”
Marsh has only bowled more than 10 overs in a Test match once since his return in last year’s Ashes. He has also only bowled 21 overs in 40 white-ball matches during that time, while spending time playing as a batter due to fitness concerns.
Marsh all set to feature as all-rounder
Marsh was enquired about the maximum number of overs he could realistically bowl in a Test match and said that he is prepared to bowl as much as Pat Cummins wants him to.
“I mean, you never really like to put numbers on it. Once you’re in the field of battle, you bowl as much as the captain needs you to bowl, and I’ll be prepared for that. I won’t bowl too much for WA, but it’s all part of the building process of getting ready for the first Test.”
Marsh also felt bad for Green to have missed out on the summer for Australia and wished for him to come back stronger.
“We’re all shattered for Cam. He loves playing cricket for Australia,” Marsh said.
“Someone like Cam, with his attitude towards the game, how much he loves it, and the thought of missing that much cricket – it’s probably a little bit daunting for him. But he’s accepted it now. When you go through these things, there’s an opportunity to come back better, and I have no doubt that he will.”
