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WI vs AUS: Mitchell Marsh confirms he won’t bowl anymore due to back issues

Sandy Verma | July 21, 2025 1:25 AM CST

“First and foremost, it’s always ‘we’re representing Australia, we’re here to win the series’ and culturally, that’s how we want to go about it,” said Marsh in his capacity as T20I captain. Australian cricket captain Mitchell Marsh has confirmed he will play solely as a batsman across all formats due to recurring back problems, as Australia prepares to face West Indies in a five-match T20I series starting July 20 at Sabina Park. The announcement comes after Marsh missed the ICC Champions Trophy earlier this year due to injury.Australia has announced their playing XI for the opening match in Jamaica, with Jake Fraser-McGurk included as a replacement for Spencer Johnson. Owen will make his debut, while Short has been sent home due to a minor side strain sustained during training.The series presents an opportunity for Australia to fine-tune their squad ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup scheduled for next year in India and Sri Lanka, especially with senior players Travis Head, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, and Josh Hazlewood being rested.

Which player do you think will be the standout performer for Australia in the T20I series?

“There will be guys that get opportunities. We’ve obviously got a few guys missing for this series for a well-earned rest. But we want guys to be flexible, fluid, and come together as a team and be really connected. We don’t want anyone to come in here and feel like they have to prove themselves. We’ve really got a strong squad,” Marsh added.The five-match series will begin with two matches in Kingston, Jamaica, followed by three games in Basseterre, St Kitts.Australia’s playing XI for the first T20I consists of Mitch Marsh as captain, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Josh Inglis as wicketkeeper, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Sean Abbott, Nathan Ellis, and Adam Zampa.