3 reasons why Mitchell Marsh's absence is a big blow to Australia ahead of 2023 World Cup clash vs England
Mitchell Marsh has left for Australia for personal reasons and will miss the team's upcoming 2023 World Cup match against England on November 4. The all-rounder is an important member of the squad, but he had to leave the tournament due to some reasons.
Marsh's return date is not known, but Marcus Stoinis has stated that his teammate will rejoin the team soon. Speaking ahead of the match against England, Stoinis told reporters:
"I don't think there's a timeline on when he's coming back, but I'm sure he'll do what he needs to do at home and then get back. He sent me a message last night saying, 'I'll be home for a little bit and then I'm coming back to win this World Cup' so that speaks to his mindset I think."
While Mitchell Marsh may rejoin the Australian squad before the 2023 World Cup ends, here are three reasons why his absence will hurt the Aussies a lot in their game against defending champions England.
#1 Glenn Maxwell has already been ruled out of the Australia vs England encounter
Probably the biggest reason why Mitchell Marsh's absence will hurt Australia is because they are already without the services of Glenn Maxwell. In case you didn't know, Maxwell recently fell off the back of a golf cart, which has ruled him out of the battle against England.
With Marsh leaving the squad, Australia's team balance will be impacted a lot. Maxwell and Marsh were two of the most important all-rounders of the team. To play against the defending champions England without their two key all-rounders will be a massive disadvantage for the Australian team.
#2 Mitchell Marsh is Australia's 2nd highest run-getter in 2023 World Cup so far
Mitchell Marsh has been the second-highest run-scorer for Australia in the 2023 World Cup so far. The all-rounder has aggregated 225 runs at an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of more than 90.
Marsh has smashed 23 fours and nine sixes in the competition. The wicket in Ahmedabad is known to be a batting paradise, which is why Australia will miss their hard-hitting all-rounder a lot in this game.
#3 Australia's batting order will be unsettled once again
One of the main reasons why Australia are not in the top 2 of the 2023 World Cup points table is that their batting unit did not fire in unison in the initial matches. Travis Head's unavailability and poor form of other batters in the first few games led to disappointing results for the Australian team.
The batting lineup of the team had finally settled in the last match against New Zealand, where the Aussies scored 388 runs. However, with Glenn Maxwell and Mitchell Marsh unavailable for the 2023 World Cup match against England, the batting unit will be unsettled again.
The remaining league-round matches are quite important for Australia, keeping the race to the semifinals in mind. Australia will have to manage with their backup players now and try to get the best result possible against England.