Would be very disappointing if we lost No. 1 spot: Mitchell Marsh

Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has stated that it would be a very disappointing feeling if the Aussies were to lose their world number one spot come the end of the series. The Aussies were all at sea when they made a futile attempt to play the spin of Dilruwan Perera and Rangana Herath as the lost the second Test by a massive 229-run margin. This prompted many all over the globe to ridicule the ICC for handing the Test mace to Steve Smith in what was seen as a prelude to the series.

The 24-year all-rounder stated that one of the agendas for the tour was to widen the gap at the top. “It would be very disappointing if lost that,” he said on Monday (August 8).

“We were really hoping to try and stretch the gap. We’ve got an opportunity to win the next Test and that’s only what we can do. It means a lot. It’s what we strive for, we play to be No. 1 in the world. It’s going to hurt everyone.”

Marsh also stated that there are no excuses from the Aussie players. “It has been very disappointing. It is a bit of a shock but we are making no excuses. We have been outplayed by a better team in their own conditions. There’s an element of disappointment but we are doing as much as we can to bounce back in the last Test match.”

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“The ball has been coming out well which is nice. I’ve got a lot of confidence. I love playing that role for the team,” he said. “What has been frustrating is I haven’t been able to capitalise on my starts here. I feel I have been batting well. It’s just about doing it for a longer period and I really hope that a big score is just around the corner.” Marsh said.