Marš: "I will not play early in the World Cup"

Marš: "I will not play early in the World Cup"

Australia captain 'very easy' with late arrival of team that needed time to rest after IPL Australia captain Mitchell Marsh at the T20 World Cup 2024 at the start of the tournament. Won't bowl, but I hope they can. So in the final stage.

Marsh, who was ruled out in the middle of the IPL with a hamstring tear, has recovered more slowly than initially expected. He also did not bowl in Australia's warm-up matches against Namibia and the West Indies.

"Yeah, I'm not going to play early in the tournament," Marsh said on Saturday. "And I always joke as a captain - I hope I don't play too late in the tournament. But yes, over the next 10-12 days I will gradually improve and hopefully, at the end of the tournament I will be able to get the ball, will be available۔

For their warm-up matches, Australia only had nine players available from their 15-man squad. They had four replacements on the field at one point, including head coach Andrew McDonald, batting coach Brad Hodge, fielding coach Andre Boruk and shortstop George Bailey.

Travis Head, Pete Cummins, Mitchell Starr, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Greene and Marcus Stoin were late arrivals to the camp. All but Stoins have been involved in the IPL playoffs. Marsh was asked about his thoughts on players coming to camp late. Australia will play their first match against Oman on June 5 in Bridgetown.

"It's really easy for me," he said. "We really value family time. These guys have obviously been in the IPL, which I think is good preparation for the World Cup. And then, yes, just seeing our families and having them in our beds. Worth considering. All in all, a night or two is very important, we all bought it and it is very easy to do.

"We still have [Mitchell] Starr and Maxie [Glenn Maxwell] this morning or lunch. But after that, we're all here. I think it's really important for us to have a few days at home so the boys can hang out This is a group and personally it takes them a few days to get here from Australia but they will be ready to finish 5th.

Did Australia learn a lot from the two warm-up matches they played? Losing one time and winning the other. "I feel like I got what we needed to come out of the games playing," Marsh said. Obviously, Hodge Selection is no longer available. It's not a good thing. It's a disappointment. We all missed it. But those who were playing at home need to come back after the holidays. Sports need time. That's what I learned from practice games. Ready to go.

It is the biggest T20 World Cup ever with 20 teams. And unlike the last two editions, there are no qualifying rounds before the tournament begins. According to Marsh, this adds a lot of excitement to the tournament.

"I think it definitely feels like the World Cup," he said. "The other day at our team hotel I got a Uganda game shirt and it was a very special moment. And things like that are not just about cricket in these World Cups, but about opportunities. I have and teams have earned it, I think it gives the whole tournament a lot of excitement, so I think it's really special.

However, he offered a complete defence when asked if there should have been a longer gap between the end of the IPL and the start of the T20 World Cup.

"I don't really have an answer to that and I don't make decisions like that - so as a group, we're here to win. Things might seem a bit disjointed at first and I think most teams are in the same boat with the guys who are playing in the IPL or coming out of the shop, but it's typical in international cricket these days that we come on tours and meet us in the next few days."