Former champions Australia sustained a major dent in their ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025 preparations as experienced all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the tournament due to a back injury, Cricket Australia (CA) confirmed on Friday.Marsh has been going through a rough patch, the highlight of which was his below-par performances in the recently held five-match Test series against India. He only managed 73 runs in seven innings and played a significantly limited role with the ball.
His fitness and underwhelming performances were a point of debate during the series before he was eventually replaced by Beau Webster in the final fixture.
After a tough red-ball outing, Marsh featured in one Big Bash League (BBL) match on January 7 but was rested from the three subsequent fixtures, a move aimed at providing the all-rounder ample opportunity to refresh ahead of the eight-team tournament.
However, Marsh’s injury concerns persisted and the selectors have now ruled him out of the Champions Trophy, describing the issue as “lower back pain and dysfunction”.
“Mitchell Marsh has been ruled out of the upcoming ICC Men’s Champion’s Trophy with ongoing lower back pain and dysfunction,” CA said in a statement.
“The National Selection Panel and Australian men’s medical team ruled Marsh out of the tournament with the injury which has not responded sufficiently to rehabilitation,” the statement added. The all-rounder will undergo further rehabilitation, while his replacement for the Champions Trophy 2025 will be announced in due course.
“His lower back pain flared in recent weeks leading the NSP to make the longer term decision for Marsh to complete a more extended period of rehabilitation,” CA said.
“Marsh will now undergo a period of further rest and rehabilitation as part of his return to play plan. The NSP will meet to decide on a replacement for Marsh in due course.”