Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has shared Mitchell Marsh's unwavering determination to make a comeback and secure victory in the ongoing ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.
Marsh has returned to Australia due to personal reasons and will be absent from the ongoing tournament for an unspecified duration, his commitment to Australia's World Cup campaign remains strong.
In an interview with cricket.com.au, Stoinis revealed that Marsh had expressed his determination to return and assist Australia in winning the World Cup. Their recent match resulted in a five-run victory over New Zealand at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.
"He sent a message saying 'I'll be home for a little bit and then I'm coming back to win this World Cup"' said Stoinis.
Marsh has been officially ruled out of the upcoming match against England, captained by Jos Buttler, scheduled for November 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Looking ahead, Australia's second-to-last league match against Afghanistan, led by Hashmatullah Shahidi, remains uncertain in terms of Marsh's availability.
In Marsh's absence, Stoinis emerges as the prime candidate to step into the team, having successfully recovered from a calf injury. This also means that Steve Smith will be taking up the No.3 batting position. Initially, Marsh took on the role of opening the batting in the absence of Travis Head, meeting expectations. However, once Head returned to the team, Marsh shifted down to the No.3 spot.
Across six matches, Marsh has accumulated a total of 225 runs, maintaining an average of 37.50 and a strike rate of 91.46. His most noteworthy performance came when he scored an impressive 121 runs against Pakistan, led by Babar Azam, in Bangalore.
Additionally, Australia will be without the services of all-rounder Glenn Maxwell, who suffered a concussion due to an incident involving a golf cart. This will be felt in the match against England.
Currently, Australia stands at the third position in the World Cup 2023 points table, boasting eight points and an impressive net run rate of +0.970.
(Powered by AI, Inputs by India Today)
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