"Pretty crazy how it all works out" - Mitchell Marsh says being handed T20I captaincy 'very proud moment'
Newly-appointed Australian T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh has said he takes pride in himself for not giving up throughout an injury-ravaged period. The West Australian added that he never imagined he would be handed the captaincy reins of the T20I team.
With Aaron Finch retiring from international cricket, Mitchell Marsh has filled in the vacant spot of the captain starting with their upcoming series against South Africa. Marsh has become a fairly regular part of the team and Cricket Australia will likely hope he stays fit until the 2024 T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA.
Speaking to SEN Radio, Marsh admitted that being appointed Australia's captain is perhaps his proudest moment. He also spoke about the hard yards he has put in to reach his current position.
"It's pretty crazy how it all works out. Very proud moment. Probably not something I'd ever thought I would do, but really looking forward to the opportunity of going to South Africa," Marsh said.
"Guess I'm very proud that I've stuck at it, and been through a little bit of adversity through my career - through my own fault, mind you - but [it's] nice to be recognised in our group as a leader."
Marsh played an integral role in Australia's T20 World Cup win in 2021. He notably slammed an unbeaten 77 off 50 deliveries in the final against New Zealand that earned him the Player of the Match award.
"I don't have the best defence" - Mitchell Marsh on his Test-match career
Having played three consecutive Tests in the 2023 Ashes series, Mitchell Marsh has identified that he doesn't have the best defence. He feels he is at his best when trying to score and said during the same interview:
"I probably spent a fair chunk of my red-ball career trying to bat like Steven Smith, Marnus [Labuschagne], Usman Khawaja - those guys that can bat for six hours - but ultimately that's not who I am; that's not me as a cricketer.
"I don't have the best defence, but I know when I'm in a really good frame of mind mentally and in an attacking frame of mind, that I can defend well and keep good balls out. Outside of that, I really want to play the way I want to play."
Attacking the England bowlers certainly helped Marsh during this year's Ashes as he scored 250 runs in six innings at a healthy strike-rate of 66.84.
The first of the three T20Is between Australia and South Africa begins on August 30 in Durban.