T20 World Cup 2024: Australian Captain Mitchell Marsh Will Not Bowl Against Oman, Confirms Coach Andrew McDonald

Star all-rounder Mitchell Marsh is all set to lead Australia in their opening fixture of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 against Oman in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Thursday, June 6. However, in a major update by coach Andrew McDonald, Marsh will be playing as a specialist batter, and his bowling abilities will not be on display. He sustained a right hamstring injury during the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) season and returned to Australia in the last week of April after playing just four games. Marsh underwent rehabilitation and played a couple of warm-up games against Namibia and West Indies earlier this week. However, he didn't take the field for the entire innings in both the warm-up matches as Matthew Wade took over the leadership responsibilities.

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh will not bowl against Oman, confirms coach Andrew McDonald

After Australia's 35-run defeat to the West Indies on Friday, May 31, head coach Andrew McDonald expressed satisfaction with the increased involvement of seam-bowling all-rounder in fielding for more overs compared to the previous game against Namibia. The former Australian all-rounder mentioned that Mitchell Marsh is progressing well and is expected to play in their first match against Oman, although he will not be able to bowl.

"For Mitch, was about ticking off where his body was at. He fielded more overs tonight. He was able to move more freely, so he's building a little bit of confidence there. It looks as though he's all set for the first game. The second part is just when the bowling comes back online... it won't be the first game," Andrew McDonald said.

Australia had decided to give some rest to players who were busy with their commitments in the IPL 2024 season. Star players like Pat Cummins, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Cameron Green, and Travis Head were given rest from playing warm-up matches. They spent time back home with their families and will join the team ahead of the clash against Oman. This means a full-strength Australian squad will only be available when the main event begins. However, Andrew McDonald isn't too concerned about this, as he believes that the players have played a lot of cricket together in recent years.

"It was by design, in terms of when we were getting people back after the IPL. We were well aware we weren't going to get the squad together until the first of next month. It's a familiar group, they've played a lot together. We've got some things in place where we'll bring the group together, we'll work through our plans leading into Oman, and there's a bit of space between that game and England," McDonald added.

Australia's T20 World Cup 2024 squad

Mitch Marsh (C), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (WK), David Warner, Adam Zampa

Australia's Group B fixtures

June 6: Australia vs Oman, Kensington Oval, Barbados

June 9: Australia vs England, Kensington Oval, Barbados

June 12: Australia vs Namibia, Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua

June 16: Australia vs Scotland, Daren Sammy Stadium, St Lucia