Australia captain Mitchell Marsh refused to comment on Pakistan’s boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India, insisting the defending champions are focused solely on winning the tournament despite a series whitewash.
Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh fielded queries on Pakistan's boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India and Bangladesh's removal from the tournament but refused to comment on both the controversies, insisting that his sole focus is on winning the showpiece.
Key Points
- Mitchell Marsh declined to comment on Pakistan’s decision to boycott its T20 World Cup clash against India.
- Australia skipper also avoided giving views on Bangladesh's removal from the tournament
- Australian batters struggled against Pakistan’s spin attack, losing 17 wickets to Nawaz, Shadab and Abrar.
Marsh was facing the Pakistani media after his team was handed a 0-3 T20 series whitewash by the home side on Sunday night.
'I don't have any comment on that at this point. We are going to the World Cup to just focus on what we are doing, we will let that stuff take care of itself,' he responded when asked about his thoughts on Pakistan's boycott of the India game on February 15 in Colombo.
Marsh refrained from talking about Bangladesh's removal
The journalists then pressed him on Bangladesh being ousted from the event for refusing to travel to India on account of "security concerns."
He once again played with a straight bat.
"The same goes for my previous answer. We are going to the World Cup to try and win it and we are solely focussed on that. As the Australian team, we trust the people there to keep us safe and that's all I would say," he said.
Marsh downplayed concerns over spin
Australia will be based in Sri Lanka during the preliminary stage of the World Cup and have games against the hosts, Ireland, Zimbabwe, and Oman beginning February 11.
Marsh downplayed the setback against Pakistan and the apparent weak handling of spinners here.
In their three losses, the visiting batters were bamboozled by the spin troika of Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Abrar Ahmed, who combined to snare 17 wickets.
"In isolation, this series, we struggled," Marsh admitted when asked about the performance that would cause concern given that the World Cup is also scheduled in spin-friendly venues.
"But over the last 18 months, we've been one of the best teams in the world and we've played spin really well. So, we'll take the learnings forward to the World Cup. We know we're a very good side in all conditions, so looking forward to the World Cup," he said.
"Some of the guys who haven't experienced these conditions before will take these experiences forward in their careers."
© 2026