Mitchell Marsh might be Pat Cummins’ best mate but he’s carving out his own identity as an Australian captain

Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins share a bond that stretches back to days couchsurfing in their teens, but as a captain, the West Australian is doing things his own way, writes BEN HORNE.

Despite a relationship that stretches back to the days when the Test captain used to sleep on his couch, Australia says Mitchell Marsh is much more than a “Cummins clone”.

Marsh has taken the reins of the Twenty20 team for this World Cup and with four wins from as many starts, the 32-year-old all-rounder is doing it his way, despite Pat Cummins’ influential presence in the side.

Cummins believes he and one of his best mates share similar philosophies on captaincy, chiefly trying to maintain a relaxed atmosphere in camp and out in the middle.

However, Australian selector George Bailey has still observed distinct differences in the way Marsh has tackled the job.

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Marsh are as thick as thieves. Picture: Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images

“I think they are quite different,” Bailey said.

“Mitch brings a lot of his own experiences as being a younger player in the Australian set-up.

“Having been someone who has been in and out (of teams), what I’ve noticed is he’s very, very aware of the entire squad and what it’s like to be someone who is on the fringe or not playing.

“The other thing to remember is you’re constantly evolving as a leader.

“One of the things they both bring is there has been a real focus on just enjoying the fact you are here at a World Cup, away playing for Australia, and you’re not always going to be able to control the result or get the result you want but you can always control the enjoyment of what you’re doing.

“That sort of broader experience and enjoyment has been a thought at the forefront of how he leads.”

Marsh came through the Australian cricket academy with Cummins.

They were on each other’s first international tour when they went as young players to South Africa in 2011 for limited-overs matches.

During Cummins’ years in the wilderness battling injury, Marsh tried to be a good friend to the prodigiously talented fast bowler when he would fly over to Western Australia to rebuild his bowling technique with Test legend Dennis Lillee.

Mitchell Marsh and Pat Cummins have their own captaincy styles. Picture: Hannah Peters/Getty Images

“I said to him, ‘Don’t book a hotel room. You can stay at my house, I’ve got a spare bed,’” Marsh said.

“My spare bed didn’t have a mattress on it so Patty got to my house and he had to sleep on the couch.

“I think he had stress fractures at that time. I wasn’t a great friend. I got him over there with a stress fracture to sleep on a bed without a mattress.

“I’m not sure how we’re still friends.”

There was a connection there from the start and Cummins’ pride in Marsh’s Ashes century in Leeds last year was palpable.

“We bonded straight away,” Marsh said of his first meeting with Cummins when they were teenagers.

“I could tell straight away that Patty was going to be someone I’d be friends with for life.”

It seems slightly odd for Australia’s Test and ODI captain to be taking a back seat in the T20s. Cummins is not even the vice-captain (Matthew Wade is).

However, Marsh knows he has his closest confidante there for him at mid-off whenever he needs him throughout this World Cup.

“Similar to every other relationship I’ve got in the team, it’s leaning on your experienced players and we’re really lucky we’ve got a really experienced team,” Marsh said.

“Patty will be right by my side through it all and he’s made the Australian cricket team his own.

“But I’m here to do my job as the Australian captain for this T20 team and I’m lucky to have Patty in the team and by my side.”