T20 World Cup: Australia squad resembles a hospital ward in Colombo

The Australia camp, in Colombo for the T20 World Cup, resembles a mini-hospital ward right now. The situation is so desperate for the 2021 champions that they were left with just 12 players to choose from for their opening game against Ireland on Wednesday, 11 February, and matters show no signs of improving ahead of the next tie against Zimbabwe on Friday.

The latest to join the list of casualties is captain Mitchell Marsh, who was ruled out of the first game barely 15 minutes before the toss owing to "pain and discomfort" in the groin, prompting Travis Head to step in to lead the side. Marsh suffered a blow to the groin during training earlier this week which led to testicular bleeding, forcing Cricket Australia to send an SOS to former skipper Steve Smith to join the squad.

‘’He [Marsh] is experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort which is restricting his movement,’’ a CA statement said. ‘’Scans have confirmed internal testicular bleeding, and he will require a period of rest and rehabilitation. His return to play will be guided by symptom resolution and medical advice. Standby player Steven Smith will travel to Sri Lanka as cover to acclimatise and prepare, should he be required.’’

Marsh, incidentally, is the second player on the roster for whom a potential replacement is being rushed in. Paceman Sean Abbott is already present as a travelling reserve for Josh Hazlewood. The latter, the lone representative of the Starc-Cummins-Hazlewood troika in the 15-member squad, is a doubtful starter as he is still recovering from an injury at home after missing out on the Ashes.

If that were not enough, finisher Tim David is also being held back for the Zimbabwe game on Friday thanks to a hamstring injury which ended his BBL. Incidentally, Test skipper Cummins had to be dropped from the provisional squad as the team management decided to give him more time to recover from a troubled back.

Commenting on Marsh's last-minute pullout, Nathan Ellis, who led the pace attack during Australia's 67-run win against the Irish, said: ‘’You don’t envy a man in that position. We sort of got an inkling probably yesterday (Tuesday) and it sort of played out today, so never a great scenario for the team when you lose a captain, but also for the person who goes to bed last night thinking they’re not playing and then has to come in. But in terms of disruption with the team, we’ve got the easiest, most easygoing group in the world.

‘’Travis Head stepped in as captain and his heart rate probably doesn’t get above 25 at the best of times. Obviously, we all want Mitchie there and we love Mitchie leading us. But yeah, it wasn’t spoken about too much, and we just try to hit the ground running,’’ Ellis said at the media interaction.

A believer in the team-first philosophy, the Aussies may be an even more galvanised unit after the spate of injuries — what with the 3-0 rout to Pakistan in the build-up series denting their famous pride. However, the batting reserves have looked conspicuously bare in recent times, which forced a call-up for the 36-year-old Smith.

The man himself, meanwhile, made a strong case during the BBL campaign with the Sydney Sixers, where he plundered 299 runs at an average of 59.80 and a strike-rate of 167.97 in six innings. The former captain, who played his last T20I in February 2024, is now a step closer to being parachuted into the final squad.