Perth Scorchers cricketer Mitchell Marsh will miss the upcoming Big Bash League after undergoing surgery on a long-standing ankle injury this week, heavily damaging his chances of a Test recall.
The 31-year-old is expected to be unavailable for three months after having keyhole surgery on his left ankle to remove loose bone fragments and repair cartilage.
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Marsh almost certainly won’t be available for Australia’s highly-anticipated Test tour of India, but will return to full fitness ahead of next year’s World Cup.
The upcoming four-Test series in India was the West Australian’s best chance of dusting off the Baggy Green — on the sub-continent wickets, he could have served as an additional seam option if Australia chose two strike spinners.
He was selected in the Test squad for Australia’s most recent tour of Asia, a two-match series against Sri Lanka in July, but he has not played a Test match since the 2019 Ashes.
“I’m realistic in the fact that I know that whilst I’m in the squad and reasonably close, in the same sentence I’m probably not that close. The Test team is very settled,” Marsh told foxsports.com.au last month.
“I’m hopeful I’ll get one more opportunity, one more crack to play Test cricket but, for now, I’m enjoying being around the squad.
“I worked really hard to get myself in a position to be back in contention for Test cricket.”
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Australian chair of electors George Bailey said in a statement: “Mitchell is an important member of our squads, and we will support him through his recovery period and we are hopeful he will be available for Australian selection for the ODI series against India in March.
“In undertaking the surgery now, it gives Mitchell the best chance to recover and resume his all-rounder skillset which is an important part of our plans for the upcoming year and beyond.”
Marsh is the Scorchers’ leading run-scorer in BBL history with 1904 runs at 38.85 in 70 matches since 2011.
The reigning champions will also be without England international Phil Salt, who sustained a grade two ligament injury on his left shoulder during the recent ODI series against Australia.
Salt, a T20 World Cup champion who previously represented the Adelaide Strikers, was substituted out of the third ODI at the MCG after he dived for the ball on the boundary rope, knocking his head and injuring his shoulder.
The 26-year-old was drafted by the Perth-based franchise during the silver round of the inaugural BBL Draft.
“Losing Mitch and Phil so close to the start of the season is very disappointing,” Perth Scorchers General Manager of High Performance Kade Harvey said in a statement.
“Mitch is one of the best ball-strikers in global cricket with an incredible MBBL record, and his leadership and presence around the group is enormous.
“Phil has proven his class for England and in T20 tournaments around the world, so it’s unfortunate he won’t pull on the orange this summer.
“We’re under no illusions about how difficult it will be to cover the absence of Mitch and Phil, but we take pride in the depth of our squad and have a lot of players capable of stepping up.
“The whole organisation remains as motivated as ever to win a fifth MBBL championship.”
Last month, the Scorchers terminated their contract with England import Laurie Evans after the cricketer tested positive for a banned substance during a routine anti-doping test in August.
The 35-year-old, who played 15 matches for the Scorchers last season, strenuously denied any wrongdoing.
Evans was replaced by former South African captain Faf du Plessis, who is expected to be available for the Scorchers’ first seven games of the season before joining the Joburg Super Kings in South Africa’s new domestic T20 league.
Marsh will be joined in the casualty ward by Australian teammate Glenn Maxwell, who could be facing three months on the sidelines after breaking his leg in a “freak accident”.
Speaking on cricket.com.au’s Unplayable Podcast last month, Maxwell revealed he waited for nearly an hour in the rain after hearing his leg snap under the weight of a friend at a 50th birthday party.
“One of my mates, who was also one of my schoolteachers, we were laughing about something and I pretended to chase him off somewhere,” Maxwell said.
“I reckon we both took about three or four steps out there, and both slipped at the same time. I just got my foot stuck a little bit, and he fell, unfortunately at a really bad angle and landed straight on my leg.
“It just snapped. I heard and felt every part of it. It was pretty painful.
“I was screaming a bit and he was like, ‘Please tell me you’re joking, please tell me you’re joking’.”
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