AUS vs ENG: Pat Cummins to remain on the bench? Mitchell Marsh provides a massive update

Australia T20 captain Mitchell Marsh opened up about star fast bowler Pat Cummins' exclusion from the playing XI during the team's first match in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. Mitchell Marsh also provided an update about Pat Cummins' selection for their upcoming encounter in the marquee T20 tournament.

Australia got off to a good start in the T20 World Cup by beating Oman by 39 runs at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on Thursday, June 6. Australia dropped Pat Cummins from the playing XI in their last match. Nathan Ellis played as the third pacer in the team and picked up two wickets for 28 runs in his four overs.

Pat Cummins led the Australian cricket team to the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) last year. The right-arm pacer also guided the Men in Yellow to their sixth title in the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. He wasn't named as the Australia captain for the T20 World Cup, despite his achievements for the national team.

Pat Cummins Will Be Back In - Mitchell Marsh

When a reporter asked about Pat Cummins' absence before their match against England, Mitchell Marsh explained that Cummins was given a rest due to extensive cricket and travel. Marsh confirmed Cummins will be back in for the match against England in the ongoing tournament.

"You didn't play Pat Cummins in the last game. You perhaps thinking about playing him in his one, or are you keeping that until the toss?" a reporter asked.

"I just wanted to tell Pat Cummins that he wasn't playing. Gave up his name as captain. Patty will be back in. He'd played a lot of cricket, had a long travel and we wanted to make sure he was right for this game. So, yeah, as simple as that,” Marsh said.

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The Mitchell Marsh-led team will take on England, led by Jos Buttler, in their next match at the Kensington Oval in Barbados on June 8. Australia is likely to retain its same batting lineup for the match against England. Pat Cummins is set to replace Nathan Ellis in the bowling department for the crucial game.

Australia will stick with Travis Head and David Warner as their opening pair. Warner scored a match-saving half-century against Oman in the previous match. Mitchell Marsh scored just 14 runs off 21 deliveries. Veteran all-rounder Glenn Maxwell failed to make an impact as he was dismissed for a golden duck.

Marcus Stoinis delivered an impressive performance and was named "Player of the Match" in the first match. The all-rounder scored 67 runs off 37 balls and took three wickets for 19 runs in three overs. Tim David and wicketkeeper-batter Matthew Wade will bat in the lower middle order in the next match.

Australia's Probable Playing XI: David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (C), Cameron Green, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade (Wk), Mitchell Marsh, Pat Cummins, Adam Zappa, Josh Hazlewood

Also read: OMN vs SCO: "Why can't we top the group..." - Scotland all-rounder Michael Leask issues huge warning to Australia, England