Border-Gavaskar Trophy: Mitch Marsh sore but not set to miss any Tests

Australian all-rounder Mitch Marsh pulled up sore from The West Test after battling niggles in the lead-in, captain Pat Cummins revealed post-match. Marsh was used for five overs in the first innings and another 12 later in the match, having not bowled at all in domestic cricket this summer. The West Aussie spent time off the ground as Australia bowled on day three amid fears of an ankle injury. The veteran bowled in a one-day international on the tour of England in September, but pulled up sore and missed the next match. He was then slated to return to the bowling crease in the Sheffield Shield, but was never used. He did bowl in the nets ahead of Australia’s heavy defeat to India, which finished on Monday. Asked if Marsh was fully fit, Cummins said “it’s hard to say”. But he says the reigning Allan Border medallist is in the team primarily for his batting, having said before the Test they don’t budget for a fifth bowler. “He is battling a couple of little niggles since the UK tour, so the main thing is he’s in there as one of the top six batters in the country and bowling is a bonus,” Cummins said. “He was a little bit sore towards the end of this Test match so the next 10 days are a chance to freshen up and try and get it right, we will see how he goes. “Ideally he will be able to bowl in each Test match.” Marsh fell to Mohammed Siraj in India’s wild day-one rampage for six, but did offer a counter-punch with the bat and scored 47 during the last rites on Monday. Fears over his bowling loads come with Cam Green on ice for the summer after back surgery out of the England and Scotland tour. Beau Webster, last year’s shield player-of-the-year, and fellow WA all-rounder Aaron Hardie are considered the lead contenders if Marsh was to miss a match this summer. The blockbuster five-Test series against India is followed by a two-match trip to Sri Lanka from late January.