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“Bison” Mitch Marsh does a bull run after so much investment

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Cricket News: “Bison” Mitch Marsh does a bull run after so much investment | Mitch Marsh produces a magnificent innings in the T20 World Cup

Mitch Marsh helped Australia claim the World’s biggest T20 title, but his success was an outcome of long term investing by Cricket Australia.

Goeff Marsh’s younger son and Shaun Marsh’s younger brother, Mitchell Marsh is a bearer of a legacy of 12,000 plus international runs for Australia. A descendant of one of the toughest families to play cricket for Australia, Mitch tasted early success in his career as he led Australia U19 team to Under 19 WC victory in 2010. As an excellent striker of the cricket ball since a young age, Mitch was earmarked to a big thing in Australian cricket in years to come

Unfortunately, Mitchell Marsh’s career for Australia has always been a stop and start journey with a good share of injuries. However, a fair share was attributed to him not seizing on the opportunities given on the big stage. The cycle of going back to domestic cricket, scoring runs, getting opportunities and then not grabbing them, kept going on.

However, there was something completely different that Marsh displayed in 2020 albeit in ODIs; was the fact that he was putting a price on his wicket. After glimpses versus South Africa, Marsh played a match winning 73 (100) in England as he displayed that his game awareness has grown and is not just about brute force.

Another injury playing the IPL in 2020 pushed his comeback to the international setup. After another successful BBL for the Scorchers as captain, Marsh was picked up for the national T20 side for the New Zealand tour, which a lot of Test regulars were not a part of. Subsequently, two more five-match series in West Indies and Bangladesh where a lot of regular suspects pulled out from.

CA gave plenty of opportunities to Wade, Carey, Christian, Henriques, Turner and Marsh, hoping that in absences of experienced white ball stalwarts, someone will put their hand up and win matches for Australia. While Australia ended up losing 11 those 15 T20Is, Marsh turned up and made these chances count and scored 442 runs at a healthy strike-rate despite matches on minefields in Bangladesh. 

All of a sudden, CA finally had an answer to the critical number 3-4 slot along to partner Smith.

Cricket News: "Bison" Mitch Marsh does a bull run after so much investment | Mitch Marsh produces a magnificent innings in the T20 World Cup
Mitch Marsh was Australia’s best in tough tours of West Indies and Bangladesh.

Mitch Marsh impressed in West Indies and Bangladesh batting at 3

It was really the series in the Caribbean where Marsh grabbed eye-balls of all stakeholders of Australian cricket as he looked head-and-shoulders above any batter in that series. Marsh smashed his way to 219 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 152 including 3 fifties batting at number 3/4. Had he got more support during the tour, Australia despite could have claimed stake to the series even with their second choice team.

His form and growth as a cricketer become more evident in Bangladesh as he grafted his way through to 156 runs in five matches on absolute rank turners and low scoring games. He established with evidence that he is far more than just a clean striker of the ball.

Furthermore, he was able to bowl a few overs whenever required, which was quite a progress following a series of hamstring injuries which troubled him in the past. All in all, these matches ensured that Australia found a hard-hitting polished batting all-rounder who could bat at number 3 ready for the World Cup.

Australia had a fair share of experience in not being able to accelerate in the middle overs and the aggressive Western Australian was just the solution to that. Thus, they made sure he had enough games under his in various conditions at the highest level.

During this time, Wade also pipped past Alex Carey the incumbent white ball keeper for Australia with marginally better returns. However, a lot of games under his belt meant that he was more than ready when his team needed him at the biggest stage of all.

Wade delivered for Australia in a crunch group match versus South Africa and made things even better when he provided them an extraordinary finish as he smashed Shaheen Afridi to all parts in a do-or-die Semi Final against Pakistan. In a spot of bother after 12.2 overs, Wade combined with Stoinis at 96/5 needing 81 in 7.4 overs against a fired up opposition playing in their own backyard. But once they got going, they chased it down with an over to spare with Wade clubbing three sixes in a row.

This was great to see from an Australian perspective. Positions 5-7 have been an area of weakness in their T20 team, and they delivered the goods when it mattered most.

Mitch Marsh delivers in the Final

Marsh turned up on the biggest stages of them all; the final. Walking in at a precarious 15/1 with Trent Boult in the middle of an outstanding spell, Marsh smashed 14 of his first three balls. He was proactive since the beginning and made sure that no loose ball was left unpunished. Along with Warner and then later Maxwell, he piled on spinner and seamer alike. While the winning runs took some time to come, Marsh ensure that there were no hiccups getting those as he finished with a magnificent 77(51), a knock to be remembered for ages to come.

While it would be a cliché to end by saying “Mitch Marsh, remember the name” it would rather be said “Mitch Marsh, carrying the name and carrying it well”.

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