"Worst nightmare first game back going in before lunch at 4/80" - Mitchell Marsh on facing a rampant Mark Wood in his return game
Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has spoken about the experience of facing a rampant Mark Wood during the opening day of the third Ashes Test at Headingley, Leeds, on Thursday. Marsh was included in the Test playing XI after four years following an injury to first-choice all-rounder Cameron Green.
Marsh had to walk out to bat after the English seamers wreaked havoc with the new ball up front. The Australian top order had no answer to Wood in particular. The speedster troubled the Aussie batters with his sheer pace, with the conditions also suiting him greatly.
Admitting that it was not the ideal circumstances to mark his return, Marsh told SEN Cricket after the opening day's play:
“It was a tough 10 minutes there. Worst nightmare first game back going in before lunch at 4/80. But I felt calm, to be honest. I felt I was able to get into the contest very quickly."
Marsh survived the baptism by fire and switched gears in the second session. He got a second life after Joe Root dropped a straight-forward chance in the slips, and the all-rounder made the most of it by scoring a brilliant counter-attacking 118 off as many deliveries.
Marsh spoke about making his first Test appearance since the 2019 Ashes.
“I’ve worked really hard to get myself to a point where I can walk out with my chest out and be confident in my ability. It hasn’t always been the case in Test cricket and I’m certainly not alone when it comes to that. I walked out there and wanted to play my way,” he added.
Marsh scored the third Test hundred of his career, with all of them coming against arch-rivals England so far. His knock allowed Australia to post 263 in their first innings after the visitors were asked to bat first by England skipper Ben Stokes.
"Patty said to me if you want to go out and hit your first ball for six, do it" - Mitchell Marsh on the freedom under Cummins' reign
While Mitchell Marsh finished his innings at a strike rate of exactly 100, it was not always smooth sailing, particularly with the English bowlers breathing fire. The all-rounder took his time and respected the good deliveries. It was not until the second session that he really found his rhythm.
The right-handed batter took on off-spinner Moeen Ali and also had an answer to Mark Wood's express short deliveries. Being a solid puller of the ball, Marsh was able to handle the pace and bounce to hit 17 fours and four sixes during the course of his innings.
“Patty said to me if you want to go out and hit your first ball for six, do it. Obviously, I’m not going to do that, but that’s the sort of freedom he gives you, to go out there and just play,” the centurion added.
Asserting the need to nullify the threat Wood will pose in the second innings, Marsh said:
"As a team we’ve got to nullify him (Wood) in the second innings and no matter what the game throws at us tomorrow, make sure we try and get a lead in the third innings.”
Mark Wood's inclusion reshaped the England bowling attack altogether and the speedster finished with figures of 5-34 from 11.4 overs, bowling four maiden overs in the process.