Mitchell Marsh keen to bowl as much as captain needs him to

Cameron Green is set to get a back surgery and will be out of action for six months and in his absence, Mitchell Marsh wants to bowl as many overs as Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummins wants from him. Marsh is also looking to bowl a few overs for Western Australia in the upcoming Sheffield Shield round.

Marsh returned to bowling during the ODI series against England in September. The right-arm seamer hadn’t bowled in a competitive match since tearing his hamstring during the IPL 2024. He didn’t bowl a single over in the first round of Sheffield Shield, but with the big five-match Test series coming up against India, Australia will need Marsh to bowl more regularly. 

"I won't bowl too much for WA, it's all part of the building process to get ready for that first Test. It's been a slow build. I've been really well looked after by Cricket Australia, Ronnie [Australia coach Andrew McDonald] and Patty [Cummins], with our planning and when I bowl. I love bowling, so I'm looking forward to bowling for Western Australia this week and build from there,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Marsh as saying.

Marsh hasn’t bowled much in Test cricket since 2023. The big all-rounder has played 10 Tests in this period and delivered 72 overs, picking up six wickets at an average of 49.8. However, the upcoming Border-Gavaskar Trophy, starting on November 22, could turn out to be gruelling for the frontline seamers and that’s when Marsh will have to chip in.

"Once you're in the field of battle, you bowl as many overs as the captain needs you to bowl. I see the all-rounder role as being really important, especially when our bowlers need a bit of a break. I think if you look back at the last few seasons, our all-rounders have bowled maybe 10 to 13 overs a game, which is not really a lot.

"But those 10 to 13 overs can be really important. So for me, it's about preparing to bowl as much as I can, as much as Patty needs me to."

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