Durban, Sep 2 (IANS): Australia’s white-ball tour of South Africa got off to a successful start with twin wins under their new skipper Mitchell Marsh, whose performance has not surprised his teammate Sean Abbott.
Abbott, who started with the ball, has applauded his fast-bowling counterpart and stand-in skipper Marsh, who got the first crack at winning the permanent role of Australia’s T20I captain after his predecessor Aaron Finch retired from the game. The talented all-rounder was named as the captain for Australia's white-ball tour of South Africa.
Marsh has started his captaincy career on the right note as he led the side to two emphatic wins against the Proteas, giving them an unassailable lead of 2-0 in the three-match T20I contest. Moreover, he’s also given match-winning contributions in both games.
Marsh was the Player of the Match in the first match for his unbeaten 92 from 49 balls, which included 13 fours and two sixes. This helped Australia to a total of 226/6. They eventually won the game by 111 runs.
The 31-year-old Marsh followed that up with an unbeaten 76 from 39 in the second T20I. Australia chased down a target of 165 in merely 14.5 overs, with eight wickets to spare. Marsh thrashed the South Africa attack all around the park during this knock, hitting six sixes in the process.
Marsh's performance with the bat and his captaincy did not surprise his Abbott, who won the Player of the Match award in the second game for his 3/22.
“I think the way he's playing on the park is just the way he's been playing for such a long time now,” Abbott told the media after the second match. “To Mitch's credit, he's quite a level personality, certainly amongst the group.
“He hasn't changed at all since stepping into the captaincy, albeit only two games and having only been on tour for a week. Not surprised at all that he's doing really well and flourishing in his first two games as captain.
“It's really good to see because he's such a great person, such a good team man and really cares about people around him.”
With Mitchell Marsh set to lead the team in the upcoming five-game ODI series against South Africa too, Australia will be hoping that he will continue his performance with the bat and also as captain ahead of the World Cup.