Mitchell Marsh will miss the rest of the season due to injury, and his participation in the IPL is now uncertain.
Ahead of the squad announcement, Australia’s selectors were more concerned about Pat Cummins’ availability. While that uncertainty still lingers, they’ve now been hit with a major setback—Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the Champions Trophy due to injury.
The all-rounder is suffering from a lower-back injury, though Cricket Australia hasn’t disclosed the exact nature of the issue.
Following a poor performance in the recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Marsh lost his place in the playing XI. Now, this injury adds another hurdle to his career. The 33-year-old won’t just miss the Champions Trophy—he’s out for the entire season, and his participation in the upcoming IPL for Lucknow Super Giants is in serious doubt.
Marsh managed just 73 runs across seven innings in the Border-Gavaskar series and played a limited role with the ball before being dropped for the final Test. He then featured in one Big Bash League match before being rested to recover physically and mentally ahead of the Champions Trophy. However, just three weeks before the tournament, his hopes of playing have been dashed.
Injuries have repeatedly stalled Marsh’s promising career. Despite winning the Allan Border Medal as Australia’s best cricketer last year, his career hasn’t progressed as expected. Now, he faces yet another setback with a serious injury.
Australia’s selectors will now have to name a replacement. If they opt for a specialist batter, Jake Fraser-McGurk could be in contention, although he hasn’t been in top form recently. However, like Marsh, he has an aggressive approach at the crease. The squad already has solid batting options, so the selectors may instead choose an all-rounder. In that case, Beau Webster, who replaced Marsh in the Test squad, could get the nod for ODIs as well. If they prefer a spin-bowling all-rounder, Cooper Connolly could be considered.
Adding to Australia’s concerns is Pat Cummins’ ankle injury. If he’s unable to play, the selectors will also need to name a new captain. Steve Smith is the leading candidate, as he’s currently captaining Australia in the Test series against Sri Lanka in Cummins’ absence. Other leadership options include Travis Head and Josh Inglis, both of whom have previously led Australia in limited-overs cricket.
Australia’s Champions Trophy campaign begins on February 22 against arch-rivals England. They will then face South Africa on February 25 and Afghanistan on February 28. Before that, they have a two-match ODI series against Sri Lanka.
