Australian News – Mitchell Marsh is ready to bowl the way Pat Cummins needs him to against India

Marsh’s fitness and whether he can return to hurling has become increasingly important for Australia as it emerged that Green will miss the rest of the season with a back injury.

It was uncertain whether Marsh, who turns 33 on Sunday, would be able to cope with the rigors of bowling. Since tearing the hamstring during the IPL, Marsh has bowled just four overs – all of which came in the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s last month.

Marsh made 13 and 94 as Western Australia’s special batting in their struggling Shield opener last week against Queensland at the WACA. During his time in the field he concentrated on the laps and occasionally helped with the drinks.

But Marsh said he felt “really good” physically as he made his mark against Tasmania in Sunday’s Shield match at the WACA.

“I love bowling, so I’m looking forward to bowling in Western Australia this week and building from there.”

With Australia’s pace attack unchanged from last summer, and the Tests played in bowling-friendly grounds, Marsh was not needed much with the ball but still managed a few spells.

With Steven Smith moving back to No. 4, Australia’s selectors will likely call for an opening instead of a similar replacement for Green. Marsh moves up the order, following in the footsteps of his father Geoff and brother Shaun, with some support, including legendary Australian batsman Greg Chappell.

But Marsh dismissed the idea by focusing on his role as an all-rounder and did not put a cap on how many overs he could bowl in Tests. “Once you enter the battlefield, you bowl as many overs as the captain needs you to bowl,” he said.

“I see the allrounder’s role as important, especially when the bowlers need a bit of a break. I think if you look back over the last few seasons, our allrounders have bowled maybe 10 to 13 overs in a game, which isn’t really a lot.

“But those 10 to 13 overs can be really important. So for me, it’s about preparing to bowl as much as I can, as Patty needs me to.”

Marsh said he was “devastated” about Green, who is expected to be sidelined for six months.

“From all reports he’s very good, at first it’s always a shock. Everything happened so fast,” he said. “Of course with a stress fracture it can be a slow thing, but this one came very quickly.

“A guy like Cam with his attitude towards the game, he loves it. The thought of missing so much cricket probably scares him, but he’s accepted it now and as a player he experiences these things.

“It is a chance for him to come back better and I have no doubt that he will come back.”