Mitchell Johnson joins chorus of support for Mitch Marsh after Victorian fans boo all-rounder
Champion Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson is the latest to come to the aid of under seige all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who was booed by the MCG crowd on day one of the Boxing Day Test.
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Champion Australian pace bowler Mitchell Johnson is the latest to come to the aid of under seige all-rounder Mitch Marsh, who was booed by the MCG crowd on day one of the Boxing Day Test.
Johnson tweeted this morning support for the Marsh, who replaced for Victorian Peter Handscomb for the biggest Test of the summer.
The fellow West Australia called the bitter reception “disgusting” and pointed out to fans that “Marsh doesn’t pick the teams”.
“Give him some support ffs & those that are saying it’s banter, what a load of rubbish,” Johnson said.
Earlier, the Australian dressing room has slammed the MCG crowd for booing Marsh.
The icy reception from his home crowd was reminiscent of when former Australian captain Michael Clarke was given the rounds of the kitchen by the Gabba faithful in a Brisbane one-dayer which followed the Ashes loss of 2010-11.
On at least two occasions when he was thrown the ball, Marsh was booed by large sections of the record 73,516 crowd.
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The Australian all-rounder and his brother Shaun have been polarising figures for fans, but the fact the West Australian came in for Victorian Peter Handscomb was the most likely reason behind the bitter reception.
Australian batsman Travis Head said no Australian player on home soil should be subject to such disrespect.
This is disgusting, agree with what Saker says. Marsh doesn’t pick the teams, give him some support ffs & those that are saying it’s banter, what a load of rubbish. Constant booing and abuse daily has an affect on people. And yes they get paid well but still no excuse to abuse https://t.co/xjP7kuvJBk
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) December 26, 2018
“I don’t think it’s great. I don’t think any Australian cricketer in Australia deserves to be booed,” said Head.
“Obviously we’ve seen it a bit with (Virat) Kohli as well but for Mitch who worked his bum off (on Wednesday), I thought he bowled exceptionally well and I thought he created great pressure in tough conditions and fought really hard.
“I understand Victorian crowd and Petey missing out but I think it’s pretty poor for Mitchy to cop that.
“I think the way he showed today, he’s a great team man, a great fella, who has worked his backside off for the boys.
“Today he did a wonderful job. It’s disappointing. Hopefully that won’t be the case for the next couple of days.”
Head denied that Marsh was distressed by the treatment.
“I think Mitch is a character to get on with it. As he showed he got on with his business,” said Head.
“He did his work, bowled exceptionally well, and did the job that was needed for the team.
“He is someone to always get the energy around the group, and lead from the front. He did that in tough conditions. To grab the ball the way he did and create a couple of chances as well (reflected his attitude).”
Former selector and champion Australian batsman Mark Waugh also found the booing a bit much.
“That’s disgraceful. Very poor from what is usually a very well educated crowd,” Waugh said on Twitter.
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Four film crews descended on the MCG in the early hours of Boxing Day to capture everything that goes in to bringing the great ground to life on big event days.
The crews were filming for a documentary entitled “Inside the G” which is being made by the production company which puts together Bondi Rescue, CJZ Productions.
They are going behind the scenes, filming and interviewing everyone involved working at the MCG from security staff, to catering people to the curators who look after the sacred turf.
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Boxing Day was the first of four visits the crews will make to the ground, with the New Year’s Day Big Bash clash between the Melbourne Stars and Renegades next up.
They will also visit for two of the blockbuster games during the AFL season before the documentary goes to air later next year.
How Australia could have used a flipper from Shane Warne as they trudged their way through three tough sessions of bowling at the MCG.
Warne was sitting up in the commentary box watching on, but over in Adelaide there was a flipper getting the job done.
It was at Morphetville in Adelaide, where Lucky Flipper, a seven-year-old mare, saluted in the first race.
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Australian coach Justin Langer has fond memories of the Boxing Day Test, having made his highest Test score of 250 at the MCG against England in 2002.
On the eve of the game said the “smell of the grass, the anthems, then the noise, then the cricket” was the best part of his year as a player.
But his best recent memories of the great ground had nothing to do with cricket.
Langer is a board member of AFL premiers West Coast and spent Christmas Day not watching video of his 250, choosing instead to watch a replay of the Eagles’ Grand Final win in September.
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When former Australian captain Ricky Ponting was rolling around the MCG in the back of a Toyota Hilux during the tea break, the one question everyone was asking was ‘why?’
Ponting retired from Test cricket in 2012, after his record 168th appearance for Australia. It wasn’t a belated farewell.
But it soon became apparent Ponting was being honoured for his inclusion in the International Cricket Council Hall of Fame when he was the 25th Australian to join that exclusive club.
That was announced in July, when he and Indian great Rahul Dravid were inducted in a “glittering ceremony” in the cricketing hotbed of Dublin, Ireland.
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Ponting’s wasn’t the only milestone recognised at the MCG yesterday.
Radio broadcaster Jim Maxwell was calling his 300th test for the ABC, having seen Australia win and lose at home and away since joining the national broadcaster in 1973.
He has interviewed every Test captain since then and recovered from a stroke in 2016 to return to the radio box and reach the 300-Test milestone.
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Originally published as Mitchell Johnson joins chorus of support for Mitch Marsh after Victorian fans boo all-rounder
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