Since returning to Australia with a right-ankle injury that cut short his IPL 2020 campaign for Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mitchell Marsh still doesn’t know the extent of his injury because he and Cricket Australia have not yet received his injury report from the UAE.
Speaking at a virtual press conference from Perth on Tuesday, where he is serving out his quarantine, Marsh called the situation “weird.” He has, however, found a silver lining in that he may feature in the Sheffield Shield, where he captains Western Australia.
“We don’t really know what happened with the scans over in the UAE,” Marsh said. “Cricket Australia haven’t been able to get their hands on them so it’s bit of a weird situation.
“It’s really frustrating and a little unlucky. I’ve tried to dive for the ball like that probably a thousand times in my career,” he said of the way he picked up the injury against the Royal Challengers Bangalore, his only IPL game this time in which he bowled just four balls. “My spikes just got caught in the wicket… it’s just one of those really frustrating injuries. Hopefully, I can get back for the last [Shield] game or the maybe even last two games [before the Big Bash break] if things go really well.”
Marsh is no stranger to injuries. In 2017, a side strain had cut short his IPL campaign with Rising Pune Supergiant. And over the past four years, he has had surgeries on his right shoulder in 2017 and his left ankle in 2018. In last year’s Australian summer, Marsh had also broken his right hand after punching a wall after being dismissed in the Sheffield Shield. However, for his current injury, Marsh is confident he won’t need another surgery.
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“I was really looking forward to playing in the IPL, having not played there for a few years but obviously it wasn’t meant to be this year,” Marsh said. “Hopefully I’ll go for another scan this week if I can get clearance [from the Western Australian government] and then we’ll be a lot clearer on what we’re dealing with. At this stage, I’m hoping I can get back for at least one Shield game.
“I’ve been through a few [injuries] now and think I know how I deal with it. I moaned and groaned for about 48 hours while I was in the UAE – I was really disappointed to miss out on the opportunity to play in the UAE again. But now I’m getting stuck into my rehab and doing everything I can to be fully fit, whenever that is.”
If Marsh recovers for the Sheffield Shield, he could also be in contention for a place in the national team for when Australia host India for four Tests starting December 3. He had come to the UAE for the IPL after a successful outing in England, where he produced a Man-of-the-Match performance in the third T20I. He had also struck a match-winning 73 in the first ODI of the three-match series which Australia won 2-1.
Source: ESPN Crickinfo