Australia have been dealt with a major blow as regular captain Mitchell Marsh has suffered testicular bleeding and is in a critical medical condition at present. The last-minute injury forced Marsh out of Australia's tournament opener against Ireland in Colombo on February 11 and the skipper is now likely to miss a few more matches, if not the entire tournament.
Veteran batter Steve Smith, who was one of the surprising omissions from Australia's World Cup squad, has joined the side as a precautionary measure by Cricket Australia. Once clarity is obtained on Marsh's fitness, CA and the team management will bring in Smith as the official replacement for the tournament.
“He will require a period of rest and rehabilitation. He is experiencing ongoing pain and discomfort, which is restricting his movement,” said Cricket Australia in its official statement.
“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 Steve Smith will travel to Sri Lanka as cover to acclimatise and prepare, should he be required.”
Smith is coming off an impressive stint in the recent BBL season where he featured in just six games due to Test match duties but still conjured up a century and two fifties, with a tournament strike-rate of 168. The 37-year-old has been in good form in T20 cricket over the last 12-18 months but hasn't regularly found a spot in Australia's T20I setup due to heavy competition.
Australia's next fixture is on February 13 against Zimbabwe and Marsh is all but ruled out of the game. The Australian camp will possibly wait for a few more days to see if he can make it for the game against Sri Lanka on February 16, though that also seems very tight for now. Smith last played a T20I in February 2024.
