"Pretty Outrageous For The Guys That Had To Stay Behind" - Mitchell Marsh Criticises India-Australia T20I Series Schedule
Published - 02 Dec 2023, 01:12 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:23 AM
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh criticized the scheduling of the five-match T20I series between India and Australia that started just four days after the World Cup final. Marsh expressed the hope that future scheduling would avoid such quick turnarounds after major events.
Mitchell Marsh, along with other Australian players from the World Cup-winning squad, opted out of the series. David Warner also later withdrew from the series. However, seven players, including Steve Smith, Adam Zampa, and Glenn Maxwell, stayed back in India.
Before the third T20I in Guwahati on November 28, Australia made significant changes to the squad by sending six players home. Zampa and Smith left before the second match, while Maxwell, Stoinis, Inglis, and Abbott returned to Australia after the third T20I game.
Travis Head is the only player from the Australia World Cup squad to continue in the T20Is. The left-handed batter didn’t play in the first two T20I matches. He provided quick starts for the team in the powerplay, registering scores of 35 (18) and 31 (16) in the next two games.
The Boys Have Just Won A World Cup – Mitchell Marsh
Speaking to SEN Radio, Mitchell Marsh described the India-Australia T20I series schedule as “outrageous”. Marsh acknowledged that the players, who had just won a World Cup, deserved time to celebrate with their families.
“Yeah, it was pretty outrageous for the guys that had to stay behind. It’s a fine line because we’ve got to respect the fact we’re playing for Australia and it’s a series against India, which is always really big,” Marsh said.
“But there’s also the human side of it, the boys have just won a World Cup and probably deserve to celebrate for a while and get home to their families. It’s an interesting one. You’d hope there’s not too many of those series put on after big tournaments again,” he added.
The Pat Cummins-led team will lock horns with the Shan Masood-led Pakistan team in their next assignment, starting on December 14 in Perth. The Australia team will then face the West Indies in two Tests, three T20Is, and three ODIs.
