Colombo, February 12 Mitchell Marsh's fitness will be closely watched as the injury-hit Australian team tries to overcome a tricky Zimbabwe and move closer to the Super Eights in a Group B match of the T20 World Cup here on Friday.
Marsh missed his team's big win over Ireland on Wednesday due to internal testicular bleeding, and according to Cricket Australia, the all-rounder will require a considerable period of rest before returning to action.
Steve Smith has joined the squad as a replacement, but Marsh's absence did not affect Australia's 67-run victory here, as they produced a strong all-round performance against the Irish.
Without any of the batters scoring a half-century, they posted a strong total of over 180 before pacers Nathan Ellis and leg-spinner Adam Zampa took eight wickets between them, giving their team two full points.
However, the Australians would like to improve this performance against Zimbabwe, with strong contributions from opener Travis Head and Glenn Maxwell in the middle overs.
This is crucial for the Australians if Marsh is indeed unavailable, either partially or fully, for the rest of the ICC tournament.
However, Smith's recent T20 form will reassure the Australians.
The former captain, whose last T20I was in February 2024, was in excellent form for the Sydney Sixers in the recent Big Bash League, scoring 299 runs in just six innings at an average of 59 and a strike-rate of 167.
The Australians will need their key players to perform well against Zimbabwe, who have the potential to surprise fancied teams.
Oman might not be a top team, but the efficient manner in which the African team dismantled them was impressive.
They have pacers like Brad Evans, Blessing Muzarabani, and Richard Ngarava who can trouble even the best batsmen on their day.
Sikandar Raza's varied bowling, with both off-spin and leg-spin, adds another dimension to their attack.
Raza, a highly experienced T20 player, will also need to contribute with the bat, along with Brian Bennett, Dion Myers, and the 40-year-old Brendan Taylor, although he is nursing a minor injury from the previous match.
If he is not available, they can consider bringing in Ryan Burl, who can also provide another useful spin option.
Considering Australia's well-documented dislike for spin, they can also bring in another veteran, Graeme Cremer, whose leg-spin could be useful here.
Teams
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Australia: Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa, Steve Smith (cover for Mitchell Marsh).
Zimbabwe: Sikandar Raza (c), Brian Bennett, Ryan Burl, Graeme Cremer, Bradley Evans, Clive Madande, Tinotenda Maposa, Tadiwanashe Marumani, Wellington Masakadza, Tony Munyonga, Tashinga Musekiwa, Blessing Muzarabani, Dion Myers, Richard Ngarava, Brendan Taylor.
Match starts at 11 am IST.