‘Comfortable at three’ if Travis Head is back, says Australia’s Mitchell Marsh – Times of India
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Marsh, who recently scored 121 in a remarkable 259-run opening partnership with David Warner against Pakistan, is in excellent form going into Wednesday’s match in New Delhi.
He has opened the batting for Australia in their four previous matches, contributing with a fifty and a century in their two recent victories.
Australia, a five-time champion, faced defeats in their first two matches. However, Head, who had suffered a hand injury in Centurion, South Africa, last month, has rejoined the team after rehabilitation in Adelaide and had a practice session at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium.
“I think that decision (of having Head in the XI) will be made this afternoon/tonight,” Marsh told reporters on the eve of the clash with the giant-killing Dutch.
“He looked good, a bit of range hitting last night. He says the hand feels good. So, I’m sure if he’s fit, he’ll be available for selection in the team.”
On slipping down the batting order, Marsh said, “Yeah, I mentioned to David Warner, maybe he can bat three, but I got a firm no from him, so that’s being sarcastic there guys!
“But yeah, very happy to go back down to three. I’ve obviously batted there a lot over the last couple of years, so I feel really comfortable at three. And if and when Head comes back in, I think that’s the best position for me to play for this team.”
The Netherlands stunned high-flying South Africa last week but lost to Sri Lanka in their next outing.
Afghanistan’s shock win over Pakistan in Chennai on Monday came after they had stunned defending champions England in New Delhi.
Marsh said the level of competitiveness has brought the tournament alive.
“Teams have got better. I think that’s great for world cricket, certainly in tournaments like this that can sometimes be pretty long,” said Marsh.
“We respect the Netherlands; they’re playing some good cricket and that will be a tough challenge.”
Australia began the tournament with a loss to India and then went down to South Africa before they bounced back to be placed fourth in the 10-team table led by the hosts.
“We’re not in unfamiliar territory. We had a slow start and we were put under pressure at times, but the vibe is great,” said Marsh.
“We’ve played really good cricket the last two games and hopefully that’s the case tomorrow. So, there’s a big carrot dangling for us in a couple of weeks’ time.”
(With AFP inputs)
