Australia's T20 captain, Mitchell Marsh, plans to conserve his bowling energy during the current T20I series, targeting a more substantial role later this year against India. After a five-month hiatus from bowling due to a hamstring injury from the IPL, Marsh has indicated he might refrain from bowling entirely during the series, even during Australia's recent 3-0 win over Scotland.
Australia's T20 squad features a strong lineup of all-rounders, with Jake Fraser-McGurk being the only player who neither bowls nor keeps wicket. Marsh is enthusiastic about giving fellow all-rounders Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie more chances with the ball, choosing to hold back his own medium pace for the time being.
"I'm taking my time with my bowling," Marsh said. "To be honest, I don’t bowl much at all. We’re lucky to have a lot of bowling options, so I’ll just see how it goes. My bowling is on pause for now; we'll see if I bowl at all. We have plenty of options, and I'm always gearing up for something."
Australia aims to have Marsh back to full bowling strength for their important five-match Test series against India, starting in Perth on November 22. Marsh remarked that the series feels "like a long time away," and Australia’s management will carefully monitor player workloads as they prepare. For example, Pat Cummins is skipping the entire England tour to rest in advance of the India series.
"A lot of our focus will be on preparing for India," stated Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald in a conversation with SEN. "You’ll see player management evolve, especially as we approach [Sheffield] Shield cricket in anticipation of the first Test."
In November, Australia will also face Pakistan in three ODIs and three T20Is, but Test squad members are unlikely to participate in the T20Is. "We might need to make some concessions in that white-ball series against Pakistan to ensure we are fully ready for India," McDonald added.
This UK tour marks Australia’s return to men's cricket since their Super Eight exit at the T20 World Cup in June. Despite a strong start with five consecutive wins, back-to-back losses to Afghanistan and India cut their campaign short. Marsh, who has retained the T20 captaincy and is set to lead the ODI team against England in Cummins' absence, reflected on the disappointment of that tournament.
"It feels like a long time ago, that T20 World Cup," Marsh said. "We entered hoping to win, like every team, but we didn’t perform our best when it counted most. In tournaments, that’s crucial... there’s a lot of cricket before the next World Cup [in 2026], and I hope to be part of it."
McDonald highlighted fielding as a key factor in Australia’s early World Cup exit, particularly in the match against Afghanistan, where five vital catches were dropped. "Our fielding let us down, making it difficult for the captain and the team to perform."
He also defended Marsh’s leadership, asserting, "If you assess a captain's performance based on bowling changes and field placements, Mitch Marsh did an exceptional job. We just failed to execute during pivotal moments, especially against Afghanistan."