Mitchell Marsh

One among the long list of athletes of the Marsh family in Australia, son of Geoff Marsh, younger brother of Shaun, Mitchell Marsh, is recognized as one of the hardest hitters of the cricket ball as well as being very handy as a medium pacer.

At the mere age of 17, Mitchell became the youngest Australian to play the domestic One-Day Cup, in February 2009. A year later, the Perth-born led Australia in the 2010 U19 World Cup, where Australia eventually won. Post the junior World Cup, the promising all-rounder got an Indian Premier League (IPL) contract from Deccan Chargers for the 2010 edition. 

After a successful IPL with the ball, Marsh had his international debut in the shortest format against South Africa, at Wanderers in 2011. Later in that tour, he broke into the 50-overs format as well. Post that, the young gun got picked by his home team, Perth Scorchers, in the inaugural edition of Big Bash League (BBL). For the next two years, the all-rounder plied his trade in franchise cricket and just a couple of limited-overs games, before making a stunning return to international cricket in 2014. 

The hard-hitting all-rounder played a jaw-dropping knock of 89 runs in a tri-series ODI game against Zimbabwe in 2014, followed up with an unbeaten 86 against the Proteas, in the same tournament. On the back of his flashes of brilliance in the ODIs, the Perth-born earned his Test cap against Pakistan, in Dubai, and smacked 87 & 74 runs in his second Test match, at Abu Dhabi. 

Seeing the all-rounder’s calibre and potential, the national selectors named Mitchell in the 2015 World Cup squad, hosted by Australia and New Zealand. He didn’t get many opportunities in the event, as the all-round department was handled by Shane Watson and Glenn Maxwell. Marsh played just three games and got a five-for against England. 

Post Watson’s retirement in 2016, Marsh became Australia’s first choice fast-bowling all-rounder, but recurring injuries sidelined him and Marcus Stoinis took over the role in the national team. Mitchell was initially not picked in the 2019 World Cup squad but later flew to England as a cover for the injured Stoinis during the event. 

The injury-prone player made a comeback in the 2019-20 Ashes but featured only in the Oval Test and took his maiden Test five-for, albeit in a losing cause.

Over the years, the-rounder has played for various franchises across the globe. After representing Deccan Chargers, earlier, Pune Warriors India bought the all-rounder’s services for the 2016 IPL, and then Sunrisers Hyderabad bagged his services. Furthermore, he also featured for Nagenahira Nagas in the Sri Lanka Premier League. 

Marsh’s clean-striking and ability to bowl testing deliveries make him a brilliant package. However, the injury-prone all-rounder must focus on his fitness to cover his missed time.

(As of March 2021)