Mitchell Marsh ruled out of Australia's white-ball series vs Pakistan

Australia have suffered a set back ahead of the first One-Day International (ODI) against Pakistan as all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been injured.

Marsh picked up a hip flexor injury and has been ruled out of the three-match ODI series and one-off Twenty20 International (T20I), Australia skipper Aaron Finch confirmed on Monday, the eve of the first ODI.

The Western Australia player suffered the injury during a training drill and he has been sent for scans. Finch also said that Cameron Green will come in for Marsh.

The timing of Marsh's injury isn't very great as star players such as Pat Cummins, Mitchell Star, Josh Hazlewood, and David Warner are all being rested from the white-ball series in their ongoing tour of Pakistan. While Steve Smith was ruled out at the weekend due to an elbow injury, Glenn Maxwell is another big name that is missing.

"I don't think he'll [Marsh] be available for this series based on how he was feeling yesterday.He sustained that yesterday in a fielding drill. It was a high intensity, lateral movement drill. He bent down to pick it up one-handed and went to throw and felt a twinge in his hip flexor," Finch was quoted by cricket.com.au, as saying in a pre-match conference.

While there was no mention about the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), Marsh's franchise Delhi Capitals (DC) could certainly be sweating at the moment over the all-rounder's fitness. DC spent INR 6.5 crore for Marsh despite the player's injury history during the tournament over the years.

Last season, Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) replaced Marsh with Jason Roy after the former pulled out of the tournament due to 'personal reasons.' A year before that, SRH were forced to sign Jason Holder as a replacement for Marsh in the middle of the season after the player was injured while bowling in a game.

Nevertheless, he has been one of the best limited-overs players in the Australian camp. He played a crucial role in Australia's T20 World Cup win last year in the UAE. Marsh was also the Player of the Match in the final, where Australia comprehensively defeated New Zealand to claim their maiden World T20 title. Marsh then went on to win the 2021-22 Big Bash League title with Perth Scorchers.

Aaron Finch on Cameron Green: He'll probably bat in the middle order

Marsh's injury has only opened doors for Green to showcase his talent.

Marsh's fellow Western Australian, Green, has impressed in the whites, having scored 619 runs at 36.41 in 12 Tests, along with picking up 16 wickets as well. His only ODI appearance for Australia came in December 2020 when he scored 21 off 27 balls and finished with 0 for 27 in four overs in a 13-run defeat to India.

Speaking about the 22-year-old Green, Finch said, "He will probably bat in that middle-order. We're seeing that he's a super talented cricketer. He's someone who has been quite consistent in his Test career so far. His impact with the bat and ball can't be underestimated. I'm really excited for Cam to get that opportunity."

Meanwhile, Warner's absence means, Ben McDermott could be offered another opportunity in the ODIs, while Smith's absence could see Marnus Labuschagne play his first ODI series since 2020.

"Marnus is someone who brings a lot to the team, particularly in these conditions with his leg breaks, and his batting speaks for itself. He's a wonderful player and continues to get better in ODI cricket and T20 cricket in particular. The fact he's bowling more and more is impressive.

"I don't know if anyone has seen the footage of our training yesterday, but Marnus bowled a lot and carried on like an idiot every time he got a wicket, which was quite good fun. He's someone who is so dynamic around the group, brilliant in the group. Just the whole package he brings is outstanding, and I'm really looking forward to seeing him play in these conditions again," the Aussie skipper added further.