Australian white-ball skipper Mitchell Marsh has dropped a small hint about his Test return for the Ashes after head coach Andrew McDonald made it clear that explosive opening was in the scheme of things.
Marsh’s current focus is on the T20Is against India, which begin on Wednesday. Josh Philippe is likely to play for Australia after Matt Short was ruled out with a finger injury, while Ben McDermott has joined the squad to cover for Short.
Mitchell Marsh lined up for Test return after spectacular season of limited-overs cricket
Mitchell Marsh has not played a single match in the longest format of the game since the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2024. However, he is now in line for the Test recall thanks to his commendable performances in limited-overs cricket.
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Notably, he averages 60 ODIs in 2025 and over 71.5 in the shortest format of the game, and all these records came after he was named Australia’s skipper in the absence of Pat Cummins.
Marsh is one of those players in the Australian set-up who can play an ultra-aggressive type of cricket, just like England’s Bazballers do.
Mitchell Marsh hoped to take a month off after India series
Ahead of the first T20I in Canberra, Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh said a Test return was never planned, but it could happen if things fall into place.
“I was hoping to have a month off after that, to be honest,” Marsh joked. “I haven’t given it much thought, to be honest. Our white-ball schedule has been busy. I’m just focusing on this series at the moment,” Marsh said.
“I love playing for Western Australia so we’ll just see where it takes us at the end of this series.” Mitchell Marsh would only make a return as a specialist batter in the Test team, after failing to bowl a single spell with the ball in his last few Test appearances due to fitness issues.
‘We still haven’t given up on Mitch Marsh’s Test career,’ says Andrew McDonald
Mitchell Marsh has a strong record against England, with his three Test hundreds in the Ashes series. So although Marsh is skeptical of a return, Australian head coach Andrew McDonald has kept him in the scheme of things.
“We still haven’t given up on Mitch Marsh’s Test career,” McDonald said on Monday.
“So what would the preparation look like for him? It would have to be white ball or maybe Shield cricket after white ball if he’s not in that first team, and then [he] he can assert his rights thanks to this.
“There is a shield [rounds] five and six also when we play the Test matches, where the players who are not in the first Test will obviously go to work at that time,” the Australian head coach added.
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