Mitchell Marsh has broken silence on the massive criticism faced by him over posing with the World Cup 2023 trophy under his feet. The all-rounder said that he did not mean any disrespect to anyone with the pose. "There was obviously no disrespect meant in that photo at all. I haven’t given it too much thought, I haven’t seen a lot on social media even though everyone tells me it’s gone off. There’s nothing in that," Marsh was quoted as saying to SEN. Marsh also opined on the ongoing five-match T20I series where quite a few Australian cricketers stayed back in India after the World Cup.
"Yeah it was pretty outrageous for the guys that had to stay behind. It’s a fine line because we’ve got to respect the fact we’re playing for Australia, and it’s a series against India which is always really big. But there’s also the human side of it, the boys have just won a World Cup and probably deserve to celebrate for a while and get home to their families," he stated. "It’s an interesting one. You’d hope there’s not too many of those series put on after big tournaments again. I celebrated for the six guys who stayed behind, I celebrated for them," Marsh added.
In a one-sided title clash, Australia restricted India to 240 before chasing down the target with seven overs remaining; Travis Head was the star for the Aussies, smashing a brilliant 137 off 120 deliveries to ensure the side doesn't bog down to early setbacks. At one point in the run-chase, Australia were reeling at 45/3 but Head, alongside Marnus Labuschagne (55*), steered the innings. Marsh was rested for Australia's subsequent T20I series against India, but many of the World Cup winners including Steve Smith, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, and Adam Zampa among others had stayed back to take part in the series.
