Stifled by a fear of failure, Mitchell Marsh spent the first half of his Test career weighed down by relentless pressure to perform.
After making his Test debut in 2014, the West Australian failed to seize his opportunities in the national red-ball side, averaging 25.20 with the bat in his first 32 matches.
Following a golden era that included modern greats Matthew Hayden, Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey, Australian fans expected nothing less than excellence from their cricket stars. It was a tough act to follow.
The 2017/18 summer seemed like a turning point for Marsh, cracking two hundreds in a breakout Ashes campaign and named Test vice-captain following the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal. However, less than 12 months later, he was dropped again.
He struggled to shake off low scores, carrying that burden into his next innings. Supporters became frustrated as well, with the MCG crowd booing him during the 2018 Boxing Day Test, which he described as the lowest point of his career.
The media was ruthless, arraigning Marsh after every cheap dismissal, while the Australian public was even less forgiving. Most of the country hated him, he famously declared during the 2019 Ashes, while brother Shaun felt obliged to offer an apology on his Twitter bio.
“Mitch is my brother,” he posted.
“Apologies in advance.”
Australia’s Mitch Marsh. Picture: William West/AFP
However, a hamstring strain for Cameron Green during the 2023 Ashes changed the trajectory of Marsh’s career.
Since his Headingley heroics, the all-rounder has cemented his place at No. 6 in the Test side, won a World Cup in India and earned the coveted Allan Border Medal. No Australian has notched more Test runs than Marsh since his long-awaited recall, with the MCG crowd showing its appreciation after a counterattacking 96 during last year’s Boxing Day clash against Pakistan.
Although he fell short of triple figures, it added another heartwarming chapter to his redemption arc.
“The truthful answer is I’m human, and anytime I walk out to bat, I’m s****ing myself like any other bloke,” Marsh told Fox Cricket.
“I’ve worked really hard on the mental side of my game, to be able to walk out there and get straight into my pre-ball routines, no matter how nervous I am.
“For me, it’s all about my preparation. If I prepare as well as I possibly can, I go into a game or an innings really confident, then if I fail, I can look at myself in the mirror and say that I’ve actually done all I can. Sometimes it’s a good ball, sometimes it’s a mental error. You learn from that, and you move on quickly.
“Probably in the past, I wasn’t able to let those failures go, carrying them into my next innings or my next game, which over a period of time can really weigh you down. I’ve certainly gotten a lot better in that area.
“It doesn’t guarantee me success, but it certainly allows me to enjoy the game a bit more, no matter what situation I find myself in. I feel as if I’ve got tools now to hopefully get me through.”
Mitchell Marsh has overcome the fear of failure. Picture: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images
When speaking to media or taking selfies with fans, Marsh is hellbent on making others smile, whether that’s achieved by performing import DJ sets in the changerooms or poking fun at himself with self-deprecating quips.
He’s selfless on and off the field, captaining Australia during this year’s T20 World Cup campaign in the Caribbean and the recent white-ball tour of the United Kingdom.
However, his first ICC tournament as skipper didn’t go to plan — Australia was knocked out of the T20 World Cup in the Super Eight stage after a historic loss to Afghanistan, with Marsh contributing 125 runs at 20.83 across the tournament.
“The first word (that comes to mind) is disappointing that we couldn’t go deeper and push for the trophy,” Marsh said.
“But I think any World Cup that you’re playing and get to experience is always a great experience. Unfortunately we couldn’t come away with the chocolates, but I had a lot of fun.
“I think one of the key things for me as a leader is just to continue to learn and grow and help the team become better. We’ve got two years until the next World Cup, and form permitting, hopefully I’m there and hopefully we see a lot of growth throughout our team.”
Marsh hasn’t only matured as a leader — he’s better at judging when to drop anchor or when to fight fire with fire, a trait he didn’t possess early in his Test career.
He no longer feels obliged to get out of trouble by slogging.
“He’s matured more and more as a red-ball cricketer,” former Australian captain Allan Border told Fox Cricket.
“There was a lot of white-ball cricket in his Test match play in the past, but I think he’s learned to become a bit more of a Test match cricketer. He can let the ball go.
“You’ve got a long time in the game. He was one guy who liked to get on with it if it was stagnating, he wanted to get on with it to keep the scoreboard ticking.
“But Mitchell has learned (the drop anchor approach). He is a very good one-day player, but now he’s starting to become a very good red-ball cricketer as well.”
Mitch Marsh hits out. Picture: William West/AFP
Marsh became a father for the first time earlier this week, with wife Greta giving birth to a daughter they have yet to name.
A few hours after her arrival, Marsh was back in the WACA nets preparing for his next major assignment — the highly-anticipated Border-Gavaskar Trophy, which gets underway in front of friends and family at Perth Stadium on Friday.
The right-hander has played five Tests against India without reaching fifty, averaging 18.33 against the Asian powerhouse — a record he’d be eager to rectify this summer.
He’s also been handed the added responsibility of serving as Australia’s fifth bowler for the Test summer after fellow seamer Green was ruled out of the summer with a back injury.
Marsh has only bowled four overs in professional cricket since May, but he will be required to lighten the workloads of Australia’s pace cartel across the gruelling five-Test campaign.
“You’ve got to make sure that he’s looked after in terms of when he’s bowling, try to get the best out of him,” former Australian bowler Brett Lee told Fox Cricket.
“But the great thing about an all-rounder is that if he misses out with the bat, he can get them with the ball and he’s equally as good in both skill sets.”
Indian legend Ravi Shastri continued: “He has to bowl enough to keep the (others fresh).
“If India get off to a good session on day one or in the first innings, that’s when Mitch’s role becomes extremely crucial.”
Mitchell Marsh sends down a delivery for Australia. Picture: Gareth Copley/Getty Images
Unlike several of his teammates, Marsh has featured in a winning Test series against India, playing two matches during the 2014/15 series on home soil, which remains Australia’s most recent Border-Gavaskar Trophy triumph.
The ten-year drought fuels motivation for Marsh and his teammates ahead of a legacy-defining summer.
“India are a great side, we know that,” Marsh said.
“Especially in their conditions at home, they’re nearly impossible to beat, not many people do it throughout their careers.
“The fact that they’ve beaten us the last two times in Australia will no doubt motivate us as a group.
“Since the last time they played here, we’ve grown a lot as a team. We’ve got a really experienced group now, and I think the fact that we’ve lost the last two series, our fans will be up and about for that and hopefully get right behind us.”
Marsh is one of the country’s best batters of pace, capable of producing counterpunching cameos against the run of play that flip the script of a Test match. ‘Bisonball’ walking out to bat alongside ‘Travball’ is a dangerous combination.
However, he’s struggled against India’s world-class spinners, particularly the experienced duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja. In Tests, Marsh has mustered 31 runs at 6.20 against Ashwin and Jadeja, albeit numbers that include the low-scoring 2017 tour of India.
Mitchell Marsh poses with the Allan Border Medal. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images for Cricket Australia
“They’re world-class bowlers,” Marsh continued.
“I’m looking forward to the challenge, but how much spin will play in Australia, we’ll wait and see.
“They’ve got an outstanding fast bowling attack, but there’s no doubt they’re world-class spinners, and I’ve got a lot of respect for it.
“It’s certainly different conditions to India. (Ashwin’s) an absolute genius over there, and he’s still a very good bowler in our conditions. I’ve faced him a lot over the last few years, and I’ve grown a lot as a player, and I’ll take a positive mindset towards that battle.”
When tasked with taming the crafty Jadeja this summer, Marsh will tackle the challenge one delivery at a time.
“You watch me every ball, you see exactly what I do,” Marsh said when asked about his pre-ball routine.
“For me, it’s more just about being able to switch off for five or ten seconds and then being able to switch back on for those five or ten seconds before the bowl balls. I do the same things, I say the same words, not letting other thoughts creep into my mind and trying to be as clear as possible to make really good decisions.”
The first Test between India and Australia gets underway at Perth Stadium on Friday at 1.20pm AEDT.
