NEW DELHI: Mitchell Marsh is back in Ashes contention, with Australia’s T20I captain set for a surprising return to Sheffield Shield cricket in early December — and potentially in an entirely different role at the top of the order.
The 34-year-old all-rounder, who hasn’t played a first-class match since being dropped after last year’s Boxing Day Test and hasn’t appeared for Western Australia in the Shield since October 2024, had joked earlier this month that he’d be “six beers deep” in the stands for the first Test in Perth.
However, Marsh is now expected to take part in WA’s round-six match against Victoria at the MCG starting December 4, after playing a one-day game against Victoria on December 2, according to ESPNCricinfo.
Marsh had long played down any talk of a Test return and was even hesitant to commit to more first-class cricket. However, selectors have kept him firmly in mind. Chairman of selectors George Bailey said as early as April that Marsh’s Test career was “not over, ” and behind the scenes, the panel had been planning to keep him in red-ball contention given his outstanding white-ball form and proven record against high-pace bowling — a major part of England’s Ashes strategy.