McDonald: "A lot of our focus will be on preparing for India"

Australia's captain Mitchell Marsh is likely to take it easy with his bowling during the ongoing T20I series, saving his efforts for a more significant role later this year against India. After a five-month break from bowling due to a hamstring injury sustained during the IPL, Marsh has hinted that he may not bowl at all in the series, including during Australia's recent 3-0 victory over Scotland.

Australia's T20 squad boasts a wealth of all-rounders, with Jake Fraser-McGurk being the only non-bowling, non-keeping player in the squad. Marsh is eager to allow fellow allrounders Cameron Green and Aaron Hardie to gain more opportunities with the ball, leaving his own medium pace on the sidelines for now.

"I'm just building slowly," Marsh said. "I don’t bowl myself too much, to be honest. We’re fortunate to have plenty of bowling options, so we'll see what happens... my bowling is on hold, whether I bowl or not, we'll wait and see. We’ve got heaps of options, and I'm always building towards something."

Australia hopes to have Marsh back bowling at full strength for their crucial five-match Test series against India, which kicks off in Perth on November 22. Marsh noted that the series feels "like a long time away," and Australia’s management will closely monitor player workloads leading up to it. Pat Cummins, for instance, is sitting out the entire England tour to rest for the India series.

"A lot of our focus will be on preparing for India," Australia’s coach Andrew McDonald said in an interview with SEN. "You’ll see player management unfold, especially regarding [Sheffield] Shield cricket as we gear up, for that first Test."

Australia will also play three ODIs and three T20Is against Pakistan in November, but players involved in the Test squad are unlikely to feature in the T20Is. "We may need to compromise a bit in that white-ball series against Pakistan to ensure we are fully prepared for India’s arrival," McDonald added.

This UK tour is Australia’s first men's cricket outing since their Super Eight exit at the T20 World Cup in June. Despite winning their first five matches, back-to-back losses to Afghanistan and India ended their campaign early. Marsh, who has retained the T20 captaincy and will lead the ODI side against England in Cummins' absence, reflected on the disappointment.

"It feels like ages ago, that T20 World Cup," Marsh said. "We went in hoping to win it, like every other team, but unfortunately we didn’t play our best cricket when it mattered most. In tournaments, that’s what you rely on… there's a lot of cricket before the next World Cup [in 2026], but I hope to be there."

McDonald pinpointed fielding as the primary factor behind Australia’s World Cup exit, particularly in their match against Afghanistan, where they dropped five crucial catches. "Our fielding let us down, and that makes it tough for the captain and the team to function."

He also defended Marsh's captaincy, stating, "If you judge a captain by his bowling changes and field placements, Mitch Marsh did a fantastic job. We just didn’t execute in key moments, particularly against Afghanistan."