After suffering a defeat in the match against Afghanistan, Australian Captain Mitchell Marsh has eyed a victory in the matches against India on Monday.
Mitchell Marsh on IND-AUS Super 8 Clash
Afghanistan handed a 21-run defeat to Australia in the Super 8s fixtures making it risky for Marsh and Co to qualify for the semifinals. Australia will have to win their final Super 8s match against India, to maintain a healthy NRR to qualify for the Semifinals of the T20 World Cup 2024.
“It’s a big game, it will be against India obviously and it’s a must-win game. I think if you look back at the short history of this team, I know for a fact that it brings out the best in our guys. So, the boys will certainly be up and about for it,” said Marsh.
“Yeah, I think that’s really clear for us. It’s all about trusting ourselves. We’ve got a good bunch of people and I believe our best is up there with the best. So, we need to bring that in a couple of days’ time and move forward pretty quickly,” he added.
Australia has been running a successful campaign in the West Indies and United States until their defeat in the match against Afghanistan on Sunday. Their defeat broke Australia’s eight-match winning streak in T20Is.
“First things first, recover. We have a lot of belief in our group. We are a very good cricket team. Yes, tonight we had an off night but I guess there’s also a positive in the fact that in 36 hours we go again.”
Afghanistan has registered a first-ever win over Australia in International Cricket. Afghanistan has suffered all six of the previous meetings including four ODIs.
“I mean first things first. I thought Afghanistan was really good and they outplayed us and they deserved to win that game.
“There’s a lot of things you can look at, the reality is there’re small margins here. When the scores are low, we had an off-one in the field. But yeah, got to give credit where credit is due and Afghanistan was pretty good.”
Marsh understood that Afghanistan has become a dangerous side in world cricket. Rashid Khan and his men have handed a defeat to Australia in Trans-Tasman rival New Zealand in the group stages earlier.
“Obviously, they’re a good side. And they’re not an Associate nation, they’re a very good cricket team that play against the best all the time and they have improved a hell of a lot over the last few years.
“We know certainly in these conditions that they are a big danger team. Like I said before, they outplayed us tonight, and credit to them.”
Australia dropped many catches in the match against Afghanistan which changed the course of the match. They felt the taste of defeat in the group-stage game against Scotland as well.
“Look I think we don’t want too many off nights in the field but I also believe that at our best we’re an unbelievable fielding side. So, it’s easy to look at tonight and yes it was disappointing but ultimately, we have 36 hours to turn it around and I still believe that our best is very good in the field.
“We certainly pride ourselves on our fielding. Can’t question the boys putting in the work. I think it’s no different from any other skill set. We put in the work, we didn’t execute in the field tonight and ultimately it played a part in us losing the game.”
India and Australia are set to play their final Super 8s match on June 24 which could determine the first team to qualify for the Semi-finals of the tournament from Group one. The match will kickstart at 08:00 PM IST / 02:30 PM GMT / 10:30 PM Local at Daren Sammy Cricket Ground.
