Marsh to miss Aussie game against England

Bengaluru — Australia will be without Mitchell Marsh for their World Cup match against England this weekend after the all-rounder returned home to Perth for personal reasons, the country’s cricket board said on Thursday.

Cricket Australia said a timeline for Marsh’s return to the squad “is to be confirmed”, as the five-time champions prepare to take on holders England in Ahmedabad on Saturday before pool stage games against Afghanistan and Bangladesh in November.

All-rounder Marcus Stoinis is set to return to the line-up after shaking off a calf problem while Cameron Green is likely to step in for Marsh, who has taken two wickets and scored 225 runs so far, including a century against Pakistan.

“He [Marsh] has got a family issue going on,” Stoinis told reporters. “And like we all know, family is very important, the most important [thing] really. He’s doing the right thing and he’s getting home and seeing the people he needs to see.

“He sent me a message last night saying, ‘I’ll be home for a little bit and then I’m coming back to win this World Cup’, so that speaks to his mindset, I think.”

Australia are third in the table after six matches, as they look to shore up their position for a semifinal spot.

The news of Marsh’s unavailability comes after fellow all-rounder Glenn Maxwell was ruled out of the England match because of concussion after falling off a golf cart this week.

Australia have dealt with injuries to several players but welcomed back Travis Head, who recovered from a broken hand to score a century in their win over New Zealand.

“There’s been moving parts. It hasn’t been the smoothest campaign and we’ve gone from losing the first couple to now sitting in the top four,” Stoinis said.

“It always feels good when you walk towards the finals and boys start coming back into the team. We saw it with Head last game, so it could be our secret weapon.”

Reuters