- Marsh scored a wonderful 177 not out
- Dedicated innings to late grandfather
- He said he hoped his family would laugh about it
Mitch Marsh has capped an emotional two weeks with a World Cup highlight that he hopes has put a smile on the faces of his family back home.
The all-rounder recorded the third highest score by an Australian in the annals of the Men’s World Cup – 177 not out – in hammering Bangladesh in Pune and hoped the stunning knock was a fitting way to celebrate his late grandfather’s life.
The West Australian, such a popular figure with his teammates, had to rush home from India to be with family in the final days before grandfather Ross passed away.
But he vowed to return soon to help them win the World Cup and was in an inspired mood as he hit nine sixes and 17 fours in his second century of the tournament on Saturday.
‘I’m sure my grandma, mum and all the family will be watching at home, so hopefully it will put a smile on their faces. My father was a wonderful man and a great supporter of cricket and they celebrated his life yesterday,” Marsh said after receiving the Player of the Match award.
Mitch Marsh smashed an emotional century for Australia at the Cricket World Cup
Marsh flew to Australia two weeks ago after the death of his grandfather Ross
‘It has clearly been a challenging week for the family. It was fun to perform for them and fun to win.”
After flying home from India, the 32-year-old in Perth was moved by the outpouring of support from his teammates when he saw them on TV during the match against England in Ahmedabad wearing black armbands to mark Ross’ passing.
Now he is back and ready for the challenge that awaits him, with a semi-final against South Africa in Calcutta next Thursday.
“It’s pretty cool to go back to the World Cup. I can’t wait for the semi-final, it’s going to be a blast,” he said, assuming the top four teams had reached the semi-finals while India faced New Zealand in the other last four matches.
“We are very excited to reach Kolkata.”
Marsh sounded almost embarrassed at ultimately being handed the player of the match award after earlier conceding 48 in his four overs as Bangladesh set Australia a stiff target of 307.
“I started at minus 50 after bowling, so I had to get a few back,” he shrugged.
“But anytime you score 100 for Australia it’s always a great feeling, and now we’re obviously very excited about what lies ahead.”
Marsh said he hoped the huge blow would put a smile on his family’s faces
The batsman’s 177 not out secured an eight-wicket win for the Aussies
Like Glenn Maxwell’s single-leg double hundred against Afghanistan, he had tried to work for Marsh in the heat.
“It’s always a great honor to score 100, but to be honest I was pretty cooked,” he admitted.
‘I was just starting to get cramps at the time, so I tried to keep my heart rate down and not use too much energy.
“Yes, this one meant as much as any other hundred I’ve ever made.”