June 23, 2024: Australia captain Mitchell Marsh has expressed confidence in his team’s ability to bounce back in a do-or-die Super Eights match against unbeaten India after suffering a surprising 21-run defeat to Afghanistan. This loss has put Australia’s semifinal hopes in jeopardy.
“We have a lot of belief in our group. We are a very good cricket team. Yes, tonight we had an off night, but I guess there’s also a positive in the fact that in 36 hours we go again. If you look back at the short history of this team, I know for a fact that it brings out the best in our guys, so the boys will certainly be up and about for it,” Marsh said in the post-match press conference.
Australia had a tough fielding day, dropping five catches and missing a stumping by Matthew Wade, along with several misfields. Marsh acknowledged these mistakes were costly.
“There are small margins here when the scores are low. We certainly pride ourselves on our fielding. The boys put in the work, but we didn’t execute in the field tonight, and ultimately, it played a part in us losing the game.
“We don’t want to have too many off nights in the field, but I also believe that at our best we’re an unbelievable fielding side. Yes, it was disappointing, but ultimately, we have 36 hours to turn it around, and I still believe that our best is very good in the field,” Marsh added.
One controversial decision by Australia was omitting Mitchell Starc and bringing in left-arm spin all-rounder Ashton Agar, aiming to capitalize on the spin-friendly conditions in St Vincent.
“Any time you make a decision like that, Starcy’s unlucky in a sense. But we’ve said right from the start of the tournament that we’ve got 15 guys here and we’ll pick a team that we think can win us the game in those certain conditions. Everything pointed towards Ash tonight and I thought he did a brilliant job. Four overs, one for 17, he was outstanding. The reality is when you’ve got this much talent, someone’s always unlucky to miss out. I don’t think the game was won or lost in the Powerplay tonight,” Marsh concluded.
Australia will need to bring their best game forward to keep their semifinal hopes alive in the upcoming crucial clash against India.
