Tag: Mitchell Marsh

LAHORE: Australia T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh has expressed his excitement ahead of Pakistan T20I series, stating that he is looking forward to the challenge of playing against Babar Azam.

Speaking in the pre-series press conference, Marsh talked about Pakistani players playing in the Big Bash League (BBL) 15 and praised Babar Azam.

“It was great to see some Pakistan players playing the Big Bash; it brought a whole new audience, and I’m hopeful that they enjoyed their time in Australia,” Marsh told reporters.

Marsh also mentioned sub continent conditions, noting that Babar Azam had been a world-class performer for Pakistan for a long time. He added that Babar remained a different challenge and that they were well aware of it.

“Babar’s been a world-class player for a long period of time for Pakistan, so we have great respect for him, and we know that in these conditions he’s one of the best players in the world still so we look forward to that challenge,” he added.

The skipper also tipped the series as a vita preparatory platform for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.

“It’s a really important time in both teams’ preparations for the World Cup. Most of the squad has been in Dubai for the last four days training and getting together,” he maintained.

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“Some of us have obviously flown in a little bit later due to Big Bash commitments, but we’re certainly ready to go, and we’re looking forward to a great series,” he explained.

The 34-year-old admitted he had not packed many jumpers, saying he was unaware how cold it could get in Pakistan but would be better prepared next time

“Yes, I must admit I didn’t pack too many jumpers. I wasn’t aware that Pakistan got this cold, so I’ll know for next time, but I think one of the things about our group and most international teams now is that preparation can look different for every tour,” Marsh concluded.

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LAHORE: Australia opener Travis Head is set to captain the visitors in the first T20I against Pakistan on Thursday at the Gaddafi Stadium, with regular skipper Mitchell Marsh set to be rested for the series opener.

According to Australian media reports, Marsh and wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis are unlikely to feature in the opening match after arriving in Pakistan only on Wednesday, just days after their Perth Scorchers lifted a record-extending sixth Big Bash League title on Sunday.

With Marsh sitting out, Head will take charge of Australia for only the second time in his career. His only previous stint as T20I captain came in Cardiff in 2024, when he led Australia against England.

Australia’s preparations have also been hit by multiple absences, with Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, Tim David and Nathan Ellis all ruled out through injury.

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Meanwhile, star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has been rested as he focuses on the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which begins next week.

The second and third T20Is of the series will also be played at the Gaddafi Stadium on January 31 and February 1, respectively.

The three-match series serves as key preparation for both sides ahead of the T20 World Cup, set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Pakistan have been drawn in Group A alongside India, USA, the Netherlands and Namibia, while Australia will compete in Group B with Sri Lanka, Ireland, Zimbabwe and Oman.

Australia squad

Mitch Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Mahli Beardman, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Jack Edwards, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Mitch Owen, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Matt Short, Marcus Stoinis and Adam Zampa.

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Australia’s senior stars Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh are set to feature in the upcoming European T20 Premier League (ETPL), with both players committing to a franchise owned by former Test captain Steve Waugh.

The six-team competition, scheduled to begin later this year, is set to make history as the first ICC-sanctioned T20 league to be staged across multiple countries.

The ETPL will operate across Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands, marking a significant push to expand the game’s footprint in Europe.

Steve Waugh is part of a consortium that owns the Amsterdam-based franchise, Amsterdam Flames, and has confirmed that Smith and Marsh are among the headline players signed for the team.

Netherlands captain Scott Edwards has also joined the Flames, while discussions are ongoing with Australian power-hitter Tim David.

“We’ve approached a number of players and haven’t had one negative comment at all,” Waugh told.

“They’re fascinated by the concept, especially because it’s in Europe. They know what I stand for in terms of values, teamwork and success, and they see this as a serious project.”

The six-team league features franchises owned by several high-profile cricket figures. Glenn Maxwell will co-own the Ireland-based Irish Wolves alongside Rohan Lund, the former Group Chief Executive Officer of Australian insurance firm NRMA.

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Former New Zealand internationals Kyle Mills and Nathan McCullum have acquired the Edinburgh franchise.

So far, franchises in Amsterdam, Belfast and Edinburgh have been sold, while teams based in Dublin, Rotterdam and Glasgow are expected to be finalised in the next phase of the league’s rollout.

Waugh stressed that the ETPL is designed to be more than a symbolic gesture towards European cricket.

“We want this to be a meaningful competition,” he said. “It’s not just about supporting European cricket in name. The aim is to build one of the best leagues in the world. That might be ambitious, but you have to set high standards.”

He also highlighted the role that senior players, such as Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh, can play in developing emerging talent.

“They’re at a stage of their careers where it’s not just about personal success, but the impact they can have on other players and the growth of the game,” Waugh added.

The inaugural season of the European T20 Premier League is scheduled to run from August 26 to September 20. Matches will be played in Ireland and the Netherlands, with final venue details expected to be announced in due course.

READ: Steve Waugh, Glenn Maxwell among team owners in European T20 League

Australia’s white-ball captain Mitchell Marsh is reportedly preparing to retire from Sheffield Shield cricket, according to a report by Sydney Morning Herald.

According to the report, the 34-year-old has informed teammates that this season will likely be his last in red-ball cricket for Western Australia.

His return to the Shield circuit earlier this summer, aimed at keeping himself in the Ashes conversation, didn’t go to plan.

Marsh managed just two single-digit scores against Victoria, and with limited red-ball appearances since 2019, this comeback might well be his final outing at state level.

If confirmed, the decision would formally end a first-class chapter that began back in 2009, but Marsh is reluctant to close the door on his Test career.

Despite a lack of domestic red-ball cricket, the all-rounder still believes he can contribute to Australia’s Test side, and key figures in Australian cricket aren’t ruling it out either.

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Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald said earlier in the season that the selectors would not hesitate to pick Marsh straight out of white-ball cricket if they felt he added value to the Test setup.

“We would be comfortable picking someone, and if you want to put a name to it, Mitch Marsh, out of white-ball cricket if we felt like that was going to benefit the Test team,” McDonald said.

“He’s the captain of the white-ball team. It’s very hard for him to vacate and balance out Test preparation, if he was to be in the window for that. We still haven’t given up on Mitch Marsh’s Test career.”

Chief selector George Bailey echoed that sentiment, suggesting Mitchell Marsh could still feature at some point in the upcoming Ashes summer, even if he wasn’t part of the early plans.

“He’s got a game that could provide an injection, a different look at how he might attack it,” Bailey said. “It’s not the path we’re going down to start the series, but what it looks like later on, we’ll see.”

Since debuting in 2014, the all-rounder has played 46 Tests, scoring 2,083 runs at 28.53 and taking 51 wickets.

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Mitchell Marsh’s swashbuckling knock overshadowed Tim Robinson’s maiden ton as Australia cruised to a comfortable six-wicket win over New Zealand in the opening T20I at Bay Oval on Wednesday.

Skipper Mitchell Marsh led Australia’s chase with 85 off 43 balls as they raced to 185-4 off 16.3 overs in response to the home side’s 181-6.

The powerful Marsh struck nine fours and five sixes in cold, windy conditions at Mount Maunganui.

He was caught in the deep in the 15th over to fall short of what would have been his first century in 74 T20 internationals.

Fellow-opener Travis Head scored 31 in an electric opening stand of 67 off just 5.3 overs that set up victory and a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

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Marsh said he and Head complemented each other as opening batters.

“We’ve got a great relationship off the field and I’m hoping that translates into good partnerships,” he said.

“Tonight was a lot of fun.”

Robinson plundered 106 not out off 66 balls after a dreadful New Zealand start when they were asked to bat first.

The hosts collapsed to 6-3, with seamer Ben Dwarshuis removing Devon Conway and Mark Chapman off successive balls in the second over.

The fightback was launched by Robinson and Daryl Mitchell (34), whose fourth-wicket stand of 92 came from just 55 deliveries.

Robinson, 23, became the second-youngest New Zealander to score a T20 century when he blasted a four and then a six from the last two balls of the innings from Dwarshuis.

“I got streaky through the middle there and got away with a few chances but that’s cricket,” Robinson said.

“Those Aussies bowled really well at the top and Daryl and I spoke about getting through that really tough period when the ball was nipping around.”

Both teams had a key player ruled out of the series in training incidents on Tuesday.

New Zealand batter Rachin Ravindra suffered facial cuts when he collided with a boundary fence during fielding practice.

Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell broke his arm when struck by a shot from team-mate Mitchell Owen while bowling in the nets.

The remaining two games are also day-night fixtures in Mount Maunganui on Friday and Saturday.

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Australia have named their first-choice opening duo of Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head for the T20 World Cup, which is set to commence in Sri Lanka and India next year.

The T20I skipper, Mitchell Marsh, on Friday confirmed that he and southpaw Travis Head will occupy the top two spots until next year’s shorter format World Cup.

The announcement came ahead of the three-match T20I series opener against South Africa, which is set to begin on August 10 at Darwin.

“It’ll be myself and Heady [Travis Head] up the top for the foreseeable future,” Marsh told reporters in Darwin on Friday.

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“Obviously we’ve played a lot together, (we’ve) got a great relationship, so (we’ll) start there.”

Australia is coming off a 5-0 clean sweep over West Indies, where Marsh opened the batting in all five matches, a thing he had done only once before the tour.

Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head had never opened in the T20I format for Australia; however, they have been pivotal in ODIs, boasting an excellent record.

The pair have amassed 282 runs in just five innings at a stellar average of 70.50 in the shorter format.

Across all formats, Marsh and Head have accumulated 504 runs across 14 innings at an average of 38.67, including one century and three half-century partnerships.

Australia T20 squad:

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa

Schedule of Australia-South Africa T20I Series 

August 10: First T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin

August 12: Second T20I, Marrara Stadium, Darwin

August 16: Third T20I, Cazalys Stadium, Cairns

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Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia on his return to the T20I squad named on Wednesday for a five-match series in the West Indies, while explosive batsman Mitchell Owen earned a first call-up.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is back, having been rested for Australia’s last T20I series against Pakistan in November, and left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann makes the squad for the first time.

Marsh missed the Pakistan series and has recovered from a lower back injury that kept him out of the Champions Trophy earlier this year.

Australia’s Test and 50-over captain Pat Cummins, Travis Head and Mitchell Starc were left out of the 16-man squad for the series next month.

They will return to Australia following three Tests against the West Indies beginning on June 25.

Young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk was dropped, but there was a maiden call-up for the 23-year-old Owen after a Big Bash League (BBL) season where he was the highest run scorer and made a memorable 108 off 42 balls in the final.

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Australia have won 12 of their past 14 matches as they build towards next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.

Chairman of selectors George Bailey said: “We have a busy T20 schedule coming up through this series, followed by three against South Africa and New Zealand and five matches against India at home as we continue to refine and build a squad we think will be the right fit for the World Cup on the subcontinent.”

All-rounder Marsh was in fine form during the Indian Premier League (IPL) season, scoring 627 runs for Lucknow Super Giants, including a maiden century.

It’s worth noting that Cameron Green and Cooper Connolly also return following injury.

Meanwhile, all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who on Monday announced his retirement from ODI cricket, also retained his place in the T20I squad.

The first T20I against the West Indies is on July 20 at Kingston, Jamaica.

Australia T20I squad for West Indies tour

Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.

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Out-of-form all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was dropped on Thursday as Australia announced their Playing XI for the series-deciding fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India in Sydney with Beau Webster to make his debut.

Fast bowler Mitchell Starc retained his place for Friday’s match despite carrying a rib niggle and will line up in the attack alongside Pat Cummins, Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon.

“Mitchy [Mitchell Marsh] obviously hasn’t quite got the runs or wickets he would have liked this series and felt like it was time for a freshen-up,” said skipper Cummins. “Beau’s been with the squad and been great.”

“It’s a shame for Mitchy because we know how much he brings to the team, but we feel like now is a good time for Beau to get a chance.”

Marsh’s position had been under intense scrutiny after a poor series with bat and ball and his axing could potentially herald the end of the 33-year-old’s Test career.

After making his debut in 2014, he struggled to cement his place in the team and with the emergence of Cameron Green had been on the red-ball sidelines in recent years.

He returned to the Test side when Green was ruled out of the series following surgery on his spine.

Cummins said Marsh, who remains a key figure for Australia in the white-ball game, took the news well.

“He was totally understanding. I think his words were, ‘I’m not necessarily blindsided.’

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“He knows he hasn’t scored the runs or (taken) wickets he would have liked so that makes you vulnerable.”

Tasmanian Webster, 31, has toiled for years in Sheffield Shield cricket and will be Australia’s third debutant in the series.

Teenage opener Sam Konstas was called up for the fourth Test in Melbourne, in place of Nathan McSweeney who had made his debut in the first Test in Perth but had a poor run and was dumped after the third in Brisbane.

Konstas announced himself with a quickfire 60, audaciously ramping India’s premier fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah for a six.

Webster can bowl pace and off-spin and was considered a better option in case left-armer quick Starc has any issues. Starc bowled 41 overs in Melbourne — which Australia won by 184 runs on day five — but clearly struggled in the latter stages.

But despite this Cummins said: “He was never going to miss this one.”

Australia are 2-1 up in the series and will regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15 if they win or draw the Test which begins on Friday.

Victory would also guarantee them a place in the June World Test Championship final at Lord’s against South Africa.

Australia Playing XI for final Test against India: Sam Konstas, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (c), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland

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Uncapped all-rounder Beau Webster was on Thursday added to the Australia squad for next week’s second Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against India in Adelaide as cover for Mitchell Marsh.

The 30-year-old is on standby after Marsh pulled up sore following their 295-run thrashing by the visitors in the first Test at Perth on Monday.

Webster has been in red-hot form for Tasmania in the domestic Sheffield Shield over the past 18 months, with his seam-bowling prowess and explosive batting catching the eye of selectors.

“[Beau] Webster will join the squad next week having been named the Sheffield Shield player of the year last summer and continuing that form this season,” Cricket Australia (CA) said.

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While questions remain around the fitness of Mitchell Marsh Marsh, Australia coach Andrew McDonald has indicated they will likely stick with the same team despite being outsmarted in Perth.

Webster and the rest of the squad are set to arrive in Adelaide earlier than anticipated to get in extra training sessions ahead of the day-night Test starting on December 6.

After Adelaide, the series moves to Brisbane for the third Test, which is scheduled to be played from December 14 to December 18.

The iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will host the fourth match from December 26, while the final Test will be played in Sydney from January 3.

Australia squad for the second India Test

Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (WK), Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Nathan McSweeney, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, and Beau Webster.

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Australia will return to Lord’s on Friday for the first time since last year’s Ashes row, with captain Mitchell Marsh confident a controversial incident involving wicketkeeper Alex Carey is firmly in the past.

Carey’s stumping of Jonny Bairstow, when the England batsman walked out of his ground thinking the ball was dead, led to angry exchanges between the teams.

And there were also ugly scenes in the Lord’s Pavilion too as spectators clashed with Australian players.

Carey’s form fell away in the final three Tests of what became a drawn series but the 33-year-old has been a thorn in England’s side during the ongoing ODI campaign, making a match-winning 74 at Headingley on Saturday and an unbeaten 77 in defeat at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.

Victory at Lord’s would mean 50-over world champions Australia take an unassailable 3-1 lead in a five-match series, with Marsh adamant the tourists have drawn a line under last year’s flare-up.

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“We’ve really moved on from that,” the skipper told a pre-match press conference on Thursday. “These things happen in Ashes Test matches, there’s not a series that goes by that doesn’t have some sort of drama.”

“Alex loves playing in England, we all do. The fans are always incredible and it’s always a tough challenge playing against England. I think he’s just rapt to be back here, playing for Australia.”

Mitchell Marsh was asked if last year’s incident had given Carey additional motivation, he replied: “I don’t think that’s in his character.”

Such has been Carey’s form with bat and gloves, he could well keep his place for the fourth ODI even though World Cup-winning wicketkeeper Josh Inglis is now fit again after injury.

Australia are likely to be at full strength following a tour beset by illness, which ruled out leg-spinner Adam Zampa at Durham in a match where in-form opener Travis Head was rested following soreness.

Both key players are set to return at Lord’s, with Marsh saying: “It would be massive (to have them back). We obviously know the last couple of years they’ve both had and just what they bring to our team from an experience point of view.”

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