DURBAN : Mitchell Marsh will remain Australia’s captain for the opening one-day international against South Africa at Kingsmead on Thursday, despite the arrival of regular skipper Pat Cummins.
Cummins was rested for Australia’s three-match ODI series in Zimbabwe, where Marsh led the side to convincing wins in the first two matches before a tense, last-gasp victory in Sunday’s finale.
Marsh will continue as captain as Cummins manages his workload and prepares for Australia’s three-test series against South Africa, which begins next month.
“Pat’s main focus is the test group, and a lot of our bowlers and him in particular are preparing for that test series,” Marsh told reporters at a pre-match news conference in Durban on Wednesday.
“I’m hopeful that he’ll feature in this series at some stage, but while he’s not, I’m very happy to do it.”
Cummins has played only two of Australia’s possible 31 ODIs since captaining them to the 2023 World Cup title. His last appearance in the format came in a nine-wicket defeat by Pakistan in Adelaide nearly two years ago.
The 33-year-old could return for one or both of the remaining matches, with the second ODI scheduled for the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Sunday and the third in Potchefstroom next week.
The ODI series in Zimbabwe and South Africa provide Australia with an opportunity to acclimatise to conditions ahead of next year’s World Cup, which will be co-hosted by South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
