'Most of Australia hates me' - Mitchell Marsh's old interview resurfaces after Australia's maiden T20 World Cup triumph

An old video of Mitchell Marsh declaring that “most of Australia hates” him has resurfaced after the all-rounder’s magnificent run of form at the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2021. Marsh struck an unbeaten 50-ball 77 in the final against New Zealand to help Australia clinch their maiden glory in the shortest format of the game to complete their ICC trophy cabinet.

Even as Australia won the 50-over World Cup five times, and the Champions Trophy twice, a title at the 20-over World Cup eluded them until 2021, with their previous best being the runners-up finish in the 2010 edition. Meanwhile, Marsh was one of Australia’s chief contributors throughout the tournament, amassing 185 runs from five innings at a sensational average of 61.66 and a strike rate of nearly 147.

The resurfaced video is from a couple of years ago when Marsh struggled to solidify his spot in the team owing to fluctuating form and injuries. He made the case for his inclusion strong after an impressive performance at the No. 3 spot against West Indies and Bangladesh, while also proving handy with the ball. Despite Australia losing both five-match series by an identical 1-4 margin, Marsh did enough to push himself for World Cup contention.

Coming back after people kept doubting him shows his quality: Aaron Finch

Lauding him for his brilliant show on the big day, Australia skipper Aaron Finch said: “To be able to put up with the critics for so long, when his performance hasn’t been bad by any stretch of the imagination and any format of the game if you look at his ODI numbers they are very good.”

“For him to keep coming back after people keep doubting him shows how much of a quality person he is,” he added with regards to Marsh’s injury-plagued career. “He is the nicest person you will ever meet in your life. He’s obviously a special player.”

Australia’s move to give Marsh a continued run at the No. 3 position turned out to be a masterstroke too. “Mitch’s move to No. 3 was a really important one in the West Indies. We felt as though he’s someone who could play – he obviously plays fast bowling very well.

“Growing up in the WACA (Perth), he’s very, very dominant off the back foot. He’s someone who loves the contest, loves the challenge. And we just backed him from the start. We committed to him batting at No.3 for a long time. He knew that, and that’s all you need sometimes. You need a little of backing and you need some confidence from everybody else,” Finch added.

Chuffed for Mitchell Marsh.

Remember this from the 2019 Ashes when @beastieboy07 asked him about how he's viewed back in Australia: "Yeah, most of Australia hate me." Probably not anymore, Mitch #T20WorldCup pic.twitter.com/REJJlI7PUL

— Vithushan Ehantharajah (@Vitu_E) November 14, 2021