“Most of Australia hate me” said a candid Mitchell Marsh at The Oval hours after he had taken a terrific five-wicket haul in what was the last Test match of the 2019 Ashes. It also turned out to be the last Test match that Mitchell Marsh would play for four long years as Australia moved on to young Cameron Green as their next big seam-bowling all-rounder.
Mitchell Marsh remained on the sidelines from Test cricket either due to injuries or only as a backup to Cameron Green. He, though, cement his place in both the white-ball formats, which included a stunning match-winning knock in the 2021 T20 World Cup Final vs New Zealand in Dubai.
There is no denying that Mitchell Marsh, being the son of Geoff Marsh and brother of Shaun Marsh, has been looked with a different eye everytime and has gotten more chances for Australia than most other players would have with similar performances as inconsistency and injuries remained a part of his Test career.
For that, for his number of recalls and chances to play for Australia, Mitchell Marsh has often gotten the from the fans and even some ex-cricketers have called out the Australian selectors in the past. Despite all of it, Mitchell Marsh is always ready to play for Australia, wear that Baggy Green proudly, and perform to his best levels.
“Hopefully I’ll win them over one day” He said in that interview in 2019 Ashes.
Mitchell Marsh get emotional in a 2019 video that went viral after his century in 2023 Ashes
In 2019, Mitchell Marsh said people of Australia do not love him for the chances he has wasted in Test Cricket. That was the year when he played his last Test.
Today he saved the collapse of Australian side in 3rd test with a brilliant fifty. #ENGvAUS pic.twitter.com/X14mGGuWhC— Himanshu Pareek (@Sports_Himanshu) July 6, 2023
He earned the love and affection and praise after his match-winning knock in the 2021 T20 WC final. But Test cricket remained a different beast. His career after being dropped after 2019 Ashes felt something was still left, a hole.
That feeling of lacking got fullfilles in the 2023 Ashes, a comeback after four years of his ouster, in the 3rd Test, at Headingley. As Cameron Green pulled up with a niggle, Mitchell Marsh, who had travelled with the squad as “16th member” of the squad got a place in the side, and delivered for his team.
He came in to bat when Australia were struggling in the first session at 85/4 after being sent into bat first by Ben Stokes under cloudy skies, and began to counter-attack. For once, even Travis Head was pushed to the role of an anchor while Mitchell Marsh was the aggressor. That tells you the quality and domination of his knock in Leeds today.
He rattled 118 runs in 118 balls (in an innings what fans are now calling Marshball) with the help of 17 fours and 4 disdainfully struck sixes. His partnership of 155(168) with Head brought Australia out of early trouble and put the pressure back on England.
