I feel confident in my preparation ahead of the T20 World Cup: Mitchell Marsh
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh believes he is in good stead heading into the T20 World Cup in the UAE. Mitchell Marsh is part of Australia's 15-man squad for the mega event and hopes to help the Aussies win their first T20 crown.
Marsh's form was amongst the few positives for Australia on their forgettable tours of the West Indies and Bangladesh. The 29-year-old scored four fifties in ten innings and steered Australia's hopes single-handedly on multiple occasions.
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Marsh, who skipped IPL 2021, remains convinced about his preparations, which he feels will allow him to rise to the occasion. Marsh said, as quoted by Perth Now:
"I probably feel more confident just in my preparation and that often allows me to go out there and just play the game and try and perform for the team. I know that when I've prepared really well, I go out there full of confidence and that's certainly been the case for the last few months. I'll continue to do that."
It would be interesting to see the position the West Australian occupies in the batting order. He faces competition from Steve Smith despite performing well at number three in T20s. However, with Smith delivering modest returns with the bat in the same position in the IPL, Marsh could keep his spot.
If I play this tournament, I'll be listed at No. 3: Mitchell Marsh on T20 World Cup
Even though Marsh is optimistic about retaining the number three slot, he thinks their batting order is flexible. Hence, the seam-bowling all-rounder wants to be adaptable and contribute from any position he plays. Marsh explained:
"I daresay that if I play this tournament, I'll be listed at No.3. But I think the beauty of our squad is that from three to six or even seven all of us can float, it'll just be a matter of game situation and who we think is best to go in next. I think I'll be up the top if I do play but it's about being adaptable and being able to float with the guys that we've got coming in after me."
The all-rounder is positive about Australia's depth across all departments, which they can use to outplay teams on any given day.
"We've got a wealth of experience in T20 cricket throughout this whole squad and we certainly take a lot of confidence knowing that we can beat any team on any given day. That's a great feeling and it's a real positive for us heading into this World Cup."
Australia and South Africa face each other in the opening game of the tournament in Abu Dhabi. The Aussies have an uphill task to get past the group stage as their opponents include the West Indies and England.