Mitchell Marsh leaves the World Cup indefinitely and returns home for private reasons

Another major setback to Australia’s ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign is the loss of all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, who is returning home to Perth for personal reasons with no indication of when he will return.

This comes after the team’s next matchup against England on Saturday was postponed due to the injury of star all-arounder Glenn Maxwell.

A statement from Cricket Australia said, “A timeline on his return to the squad is to be confirmed.” It’s also unclear whether the Australian squad will seek to replace the player. Marsh is now ineligible for the World Cup indefinitely.

A crucial component of the Australian batting lineup, Marsh opened with David Warner when Travis Head was not available. Marsh was demoted to No. 3 after making 36 runs, while Head shot back up to the top of the order with a brilliant century against New Zealand in a tight victory at Dharamsala. In two overs, he bowled for eighteen runs.

Following a sluggish beginning to the tournament (0 and 7 against South Africa and India), Marsh found his rhythm with a 52 against Sri Lanka and 121 against Pakistan.

Maxwell’s concussion has also forced Australia to exclude two all-round players from the starting XI for the pivotal match against England. With four victories in six games, Australia is now tied for third position with eight points, one point ahead of New Zealand. A victory vs England is essential to maintaining their chances of making it to the semifinals.