Perth Scorchers coach Adam Voges says the doors are wide open for axed Test all-rounder Mitch Marsh to return to his Big Bash home, but admitted he was still in the dark on the all-rounder’s availability.
Marsh was dropped from the XI for the epic Border-Gavaskar finale at the SCG starting Friday, a torrid run with the willow and ineffectual spells with the ball catching up to the 33-year-old, who won the Allan Border Medal only 12 months ago.
Despite being replaced by debutant Beau Webster, Voges, a former Test batter himself, said Perth would need to contact Marsh and Cricket Australia before incorporating the power-hitting star back into the Scorchers’ equation.
“I think we’re all really disappointed that Mitch’s been left out of the Sydney Test, and it’s a real shame for him,” Voges said.
“For us, we’d love to see him in orange at some point, and we’ll be in communication with Mitch and Cricket Australia in the next 24-48 hours.
“It won’t be tomorrow, but we’ll certainly be in communication just to understand Mitch’s availability. I’m certainly hopeful we’ll see him at some point.”
Marsh launched his remarkable 2023 season, which included a breath-taking Ashes century and ODI World Cup triumph, through tremendous white-ball form, and the Big Bash could be just the place for the West Aussie to recapture his brutal best.
“If anything, I think (returning to the BBL) would free Mitch up,” Voges said.
“International cricket is such high pressure, and Test cricket and an Indian series just adds to that.
“So, like I said, we’d welcome him back with open arms. I would love to have him back in orange and see if he can smack a few balls around (Optus Stadium).”
The downside to the Scorchers’ embarrassment of riches is Voges has a lot of moving pieces to arrange before his side can put together a finals run.
Jhye Richardson misses Friday’s clash with Sydney Thunder on Test duties but won’t play at the SCG, meaning he could get an early release, while wicketkeeper Josh Inglis is touch and go for the Big Bash after suffering a calf strain.
“With Josh, my understanding is he’s probably more likely to be getting ready for Sri Lanka, but again, we’ll just see how that goes and keep asking the question,” Voges revealed.
The Scorchers also have a watch on spinner Ashton Agar after he suffered back spasms in Adelaide.
“We’ll give Ash every chance to get up, and he’s improving each day,” Voges said.
Voges added he was hopeful all-rounder Aaron Hardie would be cleared to bowl in coming games after returning from a quad concern as a specialist batter.
The Scorchers have also made two changes for the clash with David Warner’s Thunder, injecting a pair of local young guns at the expense of English import Keaton Jennings.
“It really just comes down to wanting to expose our local talent in our own conditions. We saw Sam Fanning’s innings in the finals last year, and he can impact, so we believe if he makes the final XI, he can make a similar impact. It’s a squad mentality,” Voges said.
“I think this is a big week in the context of the campaign. If we can have a good week, we can set up our tournament.”
https://thewest.com.au/sport/perth-scorchers/big-bash-league-perth-scorchers-eager-to-welcome-mitch-marsh-back-with-open-arms-c-17265515
