Mitchell Marsh reveals his World Cup heartache and the mental toll a summer from hell has taken

The most maligned cricketer in the country, Mitchell Marsh has revealed that during his summer from hell there was no escape from the sledgers.

Mitchell Marsh of Australia leaves the field after being dismissed on day four of the Boxing Day Test match between Australia and India at the MCG in Melbourne, Saturday, December 29, 2018. (AAP Image/Hamish Blair) NO ARCHIVING, EDITORIAL USE ONLY, IMAGES TO BE USED FOR NEWS REPORTING PURPOSES ONLY, NO COMMERCIAL USE WHATSOEVER, NO USE IN BOOKS WITHOUT PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT FROM AAP

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Mitchell Marsh has sought solace in a new hobby — surfing — as he fights to put the most hellish summer of his life behind him.

But the much-maligned cricketer has learnt he is never safe.

Not from the sharks, but the sledgers.

Mitchell Marsh’s barren summer have left him open to sledges — on and off the field. Picture: AAP

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There he was, a million miles away from the thoughts that have been “eating him up inside” over the past months, when he was recognised by a fellow board rider out past the breakers.

“What are you doing out here, mate?”

Marsh replied in his genial way that he was new to surfing, and asked “have you got any tips for me?”

The answer came back sharp as a razor: “Yeah mate, how about you catch more waves than you score runs?”

And paddled off.

Marsh admits “it was actually a pretty good chirp”, and he is a man who has had precious else to smile about in recent times.

The 27-year-old started the summer as Australia’s vice-captain.

Mitchell Marsh has been a key player for Australia in recent years... but his World Cup dream appears over. Picture: AAP

But he’s finished it facing the soul-crushing reality that his World Cup dream is all-but over, and his Ashes hopes are hanging by a thread.

“It’s something that’s kept me up at night basically every night for the last month,” Marsh told The Daily Telegraph.

“It’s been the toughest six months of my life, really.

“I was part of the World Cup squad in 2015. I obviously didn’t play the final, and I remember in the change rooms that night it was my goal to make sure I’m in this World Cup.

“But realistically now I’m a long way back when it comes to the World Cup team. I’ve tried not to focus too much on it because it was eating me up.”

And cricket stresses haven’t been the only cause of Marsh’s insomnia.

He was hospitalised with a serious bout of gastritis (which cruelly robbed him of his only World Cup audition), and then two weeks ago he had his testicles operated on after severe bleeding — from a nasty blow at training — led doctors to fear he had suffered a rupture.

T

Mitchell Marsh (L) plays with nephew Austin and older brother Shaun. Picture: Nicole Garmston

he painful and worrying episode cost him a critical opportunity to rediscover his red-ball form, but thankfully nothing more.

“I absolutely want to have a family one day,” he says. “So it was certainly a bit of panic at one stage when I was sitting on the operating table.”

Australia has picked an unchanged squad for their one-day tour against Pakistan later this month, meaning there are no more white ball chances for Marsh before the World Cup squad is picked — a brutal blow for the all-rounder who is a proven matchwinner in the ODI format.

Marsh’s axing for the first Test of the summer against India was also a major shock given he was vice-captain of the team, was fresh from a Sheffield Shield hundred and — notwithstanding a lean tour of the UAE — there was clear evidence the West Australian may have turned a corner with his batting over the past 12 months at international level.

Mitchell Marsh leaves the field after being dismissed cheaply in the Boxing Day Test — his one Test of the summer. Picture: AAP

When he was given his one and only Test of the summer at the MCG on Boxing Day, Marsh admits he wasn’t in the right headspace to perform.

“I had a lot going on upstairs.”

But you won’t hear him complain.

“Look mate, the selectors have been fantastic with me all the time and they’ve shown a lot of faith in me over a long period of time,” says Marsh. And he doesn’t need his army of critics on social media — or on the beach — to tell him that.

“I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t shocked, but I wasn’t angry. I had just built myself up so much and wanted to play so badly.

“I truly believed I had (turned a corner) and I still think I have.”

Marsh needs a big score before the end of the Shield season to strengthen his Ashes case. Picture: AAP

Marsh must make some big scores for Western Australia in their final two Sheffield Shield matches, starting with Tasmania on Tuesday if he is to leapfrog Marcus Stoinis as the all-rounder for the Ashes in England.

“I’ve had times where I’ve really questioned myself and been down on myself but at the same time I feel lucky I’ve got the perspective that this is a game of cricket, and I know it’s going to turn at some point if I keep doing the right things,” he says.

“That’s the attitude I’ve got to have and I certainly haven’t given up hope.”

Originally published as Mitchell Marsh reveals his World Cup heartache and the mental toll a summer from hell has taken