New Delhi:
Mitchell Marsh, who injured his bowling arm in bizarre circumstances during the Sheffield Shield encounter between Western Australia and Tasmania at the WACA ground in Perth on Monday, has been diagnosed with a fracture on his middle finger bone and has ruled him out of competitive action for six weeks. This essentially means Marsh could be out of the first Test against Pakistan which begins on November 21. Speaking to reporters, Marsh disclosed the details of his injury and also revealed he had gotten a lot of heat from Australia cricket coach Justin Langer.
"It's my middle finger, just below the wrist -- a fracture straight through the bone. He (Langer) just told me I'm an idiot basically. It's a good lesson for me. Hopefully it's a good lesson for other people as well. At the end of the day, it's a game of cricket. Sometimes you get beaten, sometimes you get out, and you can't be punching walls," Marsh said.
The injury to Marsh opens the door for Marcus Stoinis to feature in the first Test against Pakistan which will begin in Brisbane. Pakistan will start their tour of Australia with three Twenty20 Internationals followed by two Tests in Brisbane and Adelaide which will be part of the ICC World Test Championships.
Marsh was batting well on 53 but he was caught and bowled by Jackson Bird. As he entered the dressing room, he punched the wall in anger and injured his bowling arm. A statement from Western Australia had said they were yet to determine the full extent of the injury. "Western Australian captain Mitch Marsh injured his hand during (Sunday's) Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania at the WACA ground. Marsh sustained the injury when he struck the wall in the changerooms following his dismissal earlier in the day. The extent of the injury and a time frame on his return will be determined later this week after further investigation," the statement read.
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Marsh had come back into contention in the Australian cricket team after he picked up a five-wicket haul in the fifth and final Test of the Ashes series against England at The Oval. His solid performances could have potentially kept him in the reckoning for the team ahead of the Test series against Pakistan. His recall came after a long period out of favour and there are no guarantees he will win a spot back.
