WATCH: “I’m a bit fat and I love a beer,” Mitchell Marsh gives hilarious speech as he wins the Allan Border Medal

Mitchell Marsh had beaten Steve Smith and ICC Player of Year, Pat Cummins, in a vote to win the Allan Border Medal.

WATCH: “I’m a bit fat and I love a beer,” Mitchell Marsh gives hilarious speech as he wins the Allan Border Medal

Mitchell Marsh had the stars in attendance in splits (Via X)

On 31st January, Cricket Australia held the Australian Cricket Awards, where they celebrated the sport and awarded the best players of the past year. When it came to award the best Men’s Player of the Year, there three nominees were Pat Cummins, Steve Smith and Mitchell Marsh. 

Marsh was announced as the winner of the Allan Border Medal, with a vote tally of 223. At second came his captain, who had only 144 points. He was awarded the medal by his father’s captain, Allan Border. As he went on stage, he gave a speech that left everyone in the audience with tears from laughter. 

YouTube video
I had four beers at lunch so had better stop there. And now I’m sort of hoping that me winning this is not like COVID and we’ll look back in three years time and go, that was a weird time. To Ronny (McDonald) and Patty (Cummins) you believed in me and I can’t thank you enough. I’m a bit fat at times and I love a beer but you see the best in me always. You’ve changed my life. This is a huge honor. I’ll see you all on the dancefloor.
Mitchell Marsh said

The Allan Border Medal is given to the best player of the year, but usually, Test Cricket is given more importance. Not playing a single Test since 2019, he finally got his chance in the 2023 Ashes, where he scored 250 runs in three Tests. 

Mitchell Marsh’s incredible 2023 

Mitchell Marsh had started the year recovering from an ankle injury, due to which he finally played his first match in March. Always batting in the middle order, he was given a promotion to the top order and he ended up scoring 197 runs in three innings. 

Mitchell Marsh
Mitchell Marsh celebrates his comeback century (Image via ESPN)

After Cameron Green had underperformed in the first two Tests of the Ashes, Marsh was given his first Test match in over four years. Coming in to bat at 85/4, the all-rounder scored 118 off 118 balls, stitching up a 155-run partnership with Travis Head. Although England lost the Test, he retained his spot for the remaining series, scoring another half-century. 

He then shifted his focus to ODIs, where he faced South Africa and India before the 2023 World Cup. In those two series, he managed 223 runs in 7 innings, with a half-century against both teams. But his best performances came in the World Cup, where he scored 441 runs in 10 innings. His performances were crucial for Australia, as they won their 6th ODI World Cup. 

He finished the year with brilliant performances against Pakistan, where he finished as the highest run scorer of the series. He scored 344 runs in five innings, with an amazing average of 86 runs. 

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