Sydney, Nov 3: Australia have suffered a massive blow with the news that in-form all-rounder Mitch Marsh flew home for personal reasons and will be out of the ongoing ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup indefinitely.
Marsh flew home from India on Thursday due to personal reasons and Cricket Australia said that “a timeline of his return to the squad is to be confirmed.”
Australia have already lost fellow all-rounder Glenn Maxwell for Saturday’s clash against England due to concussion after an unlikely injury on a golf course, and the absence of Marsh adds further intrigue as the five-time World Cup champions chase a place in the knockout stages of the tournament.
Squad members Alex Carey, Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green will come into contention to replace Maxwell and Marsh for the match with England, while spinner Tanveer Sangha is travelling with the team as a reserve.
Australia does have the option of replacing Marsh should the all-rounder miss the remainder of the tournament, but all replacement players need to be approved by the Event Technical Committee.
Marsh has a total of 225 runs and two wickets to his name at the World Cup thus far, with his best effort with the bat coming against Pakistan in Bengaluru when he smashed a brilliant 121.
Australia will next play their Ashes rivals England on Saturday at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.