Mitchell Marsh confident of Australia giving him extended run at number 3 in ICC World T20

All-rounder Mitchell Marsh is confident about his chances of batting at number three for Australia in the upcoming T20 World Cup that is scheduled to be hosted in Oman and UAE. 

He was the preferred batsman for the role on the recent tours of West Indies and Bangladesh in the absence of senior pros such as Steve Smith, David Warner and Glenn Maxwell, and has good numbers to stake claim to the position.

He scored 375 runs across 10 innings on surfaces that were not so helpful for batsmen. He consistently performed at a time where almost all Australian batsmen had a seriously tough time getting used to the slowness of the tracks. Even in the rank turners in Bangladesh, Marsh top scored among both the teams, tallying up a total of 156 runs from 5 games. The next best from Australia was Ben McDermott with 57 runs from 3 matches.

However, he said that the Australian middle order is full of players who are adaptable to any situations and batting positions and hence he will have to be ready to play a floater as well.

"I daresay that if I play in this tournament, I'll be listed at number three. But I think the beauty of our squad is that, from three to six or even seven, all of us can float and it will just be a matter of game situation and who we think is best to go in next. I think I'll be at the top if I do play, but it's about being adaptable and being able to float with the guys that we've got coming after me," Marsh said.

Having played a lot of games recently on slow and low pitches, Marsh has recognised the value of using the depth of the crease while batting, especially against spinners. 

He has studied the batting style of Marcus Stoinis, who has tasted success in the Indian Premier League while at the same time asking the leg spinner Adam Zampa to challenge him by denying scoring opportunities and in turn helping him prepare for the big tournament.

"I just asked him where he would bowl to me to try and stop me from scoring. I've worked really hard on my game against spin, probably more so around the rotation of strike and making sure that I'm getting off strike through those middle overs in white-ball cricket. Then the extension of that was trying to make sure I have plenty of boundary options,” Marsh reckoned.

"I've watched guys like Marcus Stoinis who use the crease unbelievably well. Getting back and hitting guys over deep midwicket off the back foot for six and I think when you start playing shots like that, then you get more balls in your area to look down the ground. In these conditions we know we're going to get a lot of spin."

Marsh, irrespective of his batting position is a vital cog in Australia's wheels at the T20 World Cup with the likes of Marcus Stoinis out of the squad due to injury. He, along with Glenn Maxwell and Ashton Agar will have to provide the team balance and depth in both batting and bowling departments to the skipper Aaron Finch in the tournament scheduled to start right after the IPL.