How captain Pat Cummins helped solve the mystery that was Mitch Marsh

Mitch Marsh opens up to DANIEL CHERNY about his lowest moment on a cricket field and the freedom that came with failure.

Over the public address system came the announcement. Then the chorus of boos.

Mitch Marsh had entered the attack.

In theory it shouldn’t get much better for an Australian cricketer than being handed the rock to bowl on Boxing Day at the MCG, but for Marsh, this was the most bruising moment of his cricket journey.

Thirty Tests into his career, Marsh – once billed as the next big thing – was shaping as an unfulfilled talent. He was recalled for the this Test of the 2018-19 series against India with a Test batting average of 26 and bowling average of 42. It was hardly the stuff of a generational star.

Not many had been given such opportunities for such little reward, and patience with the public was wearing thin. That Marsh had taken the spot of Peter Handscomb – a Victorian – for the grandest cricket occasion on that state’s calendar, created a perfect storm that spilled over in jeers.

Mitch Marsh received a brutal reception from the Victorian crowd at the MCG on Boxing Day in 2018. Picture: AAP Image/Julian Smith

Teammate Travis Head lashed the crowd when speaking after play. Marsh concedes these years later that the reception got to him.

“I don’t lose any sleep over it or anything like that. But that’s probably the hardest moment,” Marsh told this masthead as he sat by the pool at Australia’s team hotel in Kolkata.

“Coming on to bowl and having 75,000 people booing you at the MCG on Boxing Day. It wasn’t the wasn’t the best day of my career, but everyone has their story. It’s been a part of mine and I got through it. So it’s all good.”

Given time to contemplate the crowd’s motivation, Marsh is at peace with the idea that it was mostly inspired by parochialism.

“In the moment you’re like, ‘why are they doing this?’ and then once you get past that, I think it was mainly because I came in for Peter Handscomb, and the MCG, while they love Australia, they love Victoria more,” Marsh said.

“So I felt bad for Petey, but I’m sure Petey probably felt bad for me at some point.”

Marsh (R) credits Pat Cummins with unlocking his potential. Picture: Getty Images

Wicketless and making scores of nine and 10 for the match, Marsh was dropped for the fourth Test of the series.

In the ensuing four and ½ years, Marsh played just one Test, the fifth rubber of the 2019 Ashes in which he took a five-wicket first innings haul, after which he quipped self-effacingly that “most of Australia hates me.”

By the time that series was played, Marsh had also lost his spot in Australia’s one-day squad for the 2019 World Cup, having been a young fringe player in the group that won the title on home soil four years earlier.

Yet now at 32, Marsh is an entrenched part of Australia’s white-ball setup as it gears up for a World Cup semi-final, the West Australian having been the key to the Aussies’ unlikely Twenty20 triumph in the UAE two years ago.

He is also a Test incumbent, having made a stunning return at Headingley this year after Cameron Green was ruled out through injury.

It has been a slow burn, but the West Australian has now proven himself as a reliable international performer.

He suggests that coming to terms with the idea that he might not be up to it provided the freedom that has allowed him to show he belongs.

“You ask yourself a lot of questions. And yeah, I always sort of never really backed myself to play this level. So the last couple of years I’ve been able to do that and I’ve been a lot more consistent,” Marsh said.

“I was always hopeful that I would be able to become a consistent sort of performer within this group.

“I think I was probably more accepting that I might not be good enough. And that sort of attitude allowed me to just enjoy my training, enjoy playing. I love competing. Often when you’re in your own head, you forget about the whole competing part and enjoying just playing the game and winning with your mates and enjoying others’ success as much as yours so I guess it’s been an attitude change with that and it’s helped me a lot.”

Marsh credits three key figures with helping cultivate that new mindset. They are Australian captain Pat Cummins, coach Andrew McDonald, and Marsh’s wife Greta, a midwife who has joined Marsh in India.

“She’s been amazing for me. We’ve got a great relationship, obviously married this year, which is always an exciting time in your life, really given me a great perspective on life outside of cricket. I feel like a lot of people speak about when they have kids they come home have a bad day they’ve got little boy, a little daughter there and it’s not all bad. I kind of feel like that with Greta, she gets stuck into me when I fail and we have always had a good laugh about it,” Marsh said.

“Bloody great living in Perth, really settled with my wife and all of our family back home and probably the biggest turning point has just been the backing I’ve had from Ronnie (McDonald) and Patty. They’ve just allowed me to be myself in this group and go out there and play the game. Play the game as I play it, which is naturally in an attacking manner I remember before my Test match in Headingley, Patty gave these instructions to me where ‘if you want to hit the first ball for six hit it for six’ and he was genuine. So I guess to have that sort of backing from this group coaching and Patty as well just allowed me to relax a bit more. And I’ve just got a lot more trust in my ability and playing at this level.”

Originally published as How captain Pat Cummins helped solve the mystery that was Mitch Marsh