It’s common practice to have a hangover after celebrating your 21st birthday, but the post-party headache for rising cricket star Mitch Marsh is set to be a significant one.
Marsh and his older brother Shaun were dumped from the Perth Scorchers’ final Champions League Twenty20 clash on Wednesday (AEDT) for partying too hard in the lead-up to the previous game against the Delhi Daredevils.
Paceman Nathan Rimmington was also dropped for his tardy preparation, and more players could be outed over the coming week as team management compile a report on the ill-fated South African tour.
Although the Scorchers won just one of their four games to crash out of the lucrative tournament, it’s the off-field shenanigans that has left WACA management fuming.
WACA chief executive Christina Matthews said it was too early to discuss possible sanctions, with a meeting on Monday likely to decide the fate of the offending players.
But the Marsh brothers can expect a far harsher penalty given their history.
“If you’ve had the experience before, you’ve got to expect that you’re going to be examined far more strongly than others,” Matthews said.
A night that was meant to celebrate Mitch’s 21st birthday in Cape Town will be remembered as another low point in the disciplinary records of the Marsh brothers.
Details of what went on are still unclear, and the report could uncover other misbehaviour on the tour.
Mitch’s recent list of misdemeanours is of particular concern.
In July, he was sent home from the Centre of Excellence in Brisbane after turning up to training in an unfit state following a big night out.
The powerful allrounder was already on his final warning at the academy following a string of previous indiscretions.
“It’s very hard to grow up in the spotlight but that doesn’t absolve him of responsibility,” Matthews said of the rising star, who has played three T20s and one 50-over match for Australia.
“But we also have a responsibility to help him through any issues he may or may not have.”
Shaun, who played seven Tests for Australia before being dumped in January, also struggled to keep on the straight and narrow early in his career.
The 29-year-old’s friendship with cricket bad boy Luke Pomersbach led him into troubled waters, with the pair suspended by the WACA in 2007 after participating in a late-night drinking session in the lead-up to a state match.
While Pomersbach continued to go off the rails from that point, Shaun seemed to have cleaned up his act – until his latest indiscretion.
In the wake of the Scorchers’ scandal, national chairman of selectors John Inverarity said WA cricket needed to make changes if they were to recapture their culture.
Matthews hoped the investigation would give the WACA a clear picture of what needed to be done.
“There’s obviously some issues with player self-discipline,” Matthews said.
“Whether that can be deemed as culture issues, or whether that’s contained to a small group, we’ll look into that seriously next week and then make an assessment on that.”
