Birthday special: Mitchell Marsh – The Australian talisman

Mitchell Marsh has been one of the finest all-rounders for Australia in modern-day cricket. Apart from providing handy breakthroughs with the ball in hand, he can also play match-defining knocks in the middle order.

Marsh was one of the key members of the Australian side that lifted the 2015 ODI World Cup and the last year’s T20 World Cup. Meanwhile, the promising cricketer’s young career has also been marred by a few injuries.

As Mitch Marsh turns 31 on October 20, here’s a look at how he is finally doing justice to his talent.

Mitchell Marsh- The proven performer of Australian cricket

Cricket is in Mitchell’s blood and he is a third-generation player of the Marsh family. His father Geoff was an opening batter who was a member of Australia’s 1987 World Cup triumph and had coached the Aussies to their second World Cup win in 1999, while his elder brother Shaun Marsh has also represented Australia across formats as an opening batter.

Before deciding to pursue cricket as a career, Marsh was passionate about football and was an Australian rules footballer, having represented Western Australia at the 2008 AFL National Under-18 Championships.

Apart from international cricket, Marsh has also proved his mettle in franchise cricket and is one of the most sought-after players in the IPL having played for teams like the now-defunct Pune Warriors India and Deccan Chargers, Rising Pune Supergiants, Sunrisers Hyderabad, Delhi Capitals, etc.

Marsh became the youngest-ever cricketer to play in the Australian One-Day tournament. He achieved this feat when he got an opportunity to represent Western Australia at just 17 years of age.

The elegant all-rounder had led Australia to an ICC U19 World Cup triumph in New Zealand in 2010 and his performances in the knockout fixtures were commendable. He registered match-winning scores of 53 and 97 in the quarterfinals and the semis respectively.

The highest point of Mitchell Marsh’s professional career was being adjudged the Player of the Match for his match-winning knock of an unbeaten 77 runs off 50 deliveries at an outstanding strike rate of 154.

His quickfire knock helped the Aussies chase down 173 in the penultimate over by eight wickets against the Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand as they bagged their maiden T20 World Cup title.