Mitchell Marsh suffered a ruptured hamstring during IPL 2024.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald gave an update on captain Mitchell Marsh’s injury status ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. Marsh, who will lead the Australian team in the ICC event, returned from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 midway due to a hamstring injury.
Marsh was playing for the Delhi Capitals (DC) when he suffered a ruptured hamstring. Instead of remaining in India for the rest of the tournament, Marsh decided to fly back to Australia and undergo rehab at home itself.
When he returned from India, the recovery process had taken significantly longer than expected. Before the squad flies for the Caribbean Islands on May 25, Marsh joined a group of Australian players who are not participating in the IPL for the first of two three-day pre-tournament training camps in Brisbane over the next two weeks.
Marsh was originally slated to miss the first camp owing to a hamstring ailment. However, during the last few days, his recovery has permitted him to play and bat in the nets.
Australia head coach Andrew McDonald stated that Marsh’s bowling fitness would only be at its peak nearer the competition.
“You probably won’t see him bowl in the next couple of weeks here. It’ll probably happen the week before we leave. And then he’ll be able to ramp that up when we’re over there. We’ll be able to cherry-pick the moments during the tournament where he’ll be useful with the ball. We’ve got some all-round depth in the squad, which gives us good coverage anyway,” McDonald was quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
“[His recovery was] probably a little slower than expected on the back of the hamstring. But we’ve got plenty of time now that he has been ruled out the IPL. The first game is just short of a month away now. So ample time for him to get ready. But really positive to see the skipper on the park,” the Australian coach added.
“No real concern about match fitness”- Andrew McDonald about Mitchell Marsh
Given that Australia would play a few practice matches before their debut encounter against Oman, McDonald said there was no reason to be concerned about Marsh’s lack of match practice over the last two months.
“No real concern about match fitness. We’ve got a couple of practice games when we get to Trinidad in the support period. So he’ll likely get plenty of match opportunities. And if not, we’ll be able to simulate those through practice, which our coaching staff are pretty good at,” McDonald said.
Australia will open their ICC T20 World Cup 2024 campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, before Group B fixtures against England, Namibia, and Scotland.
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