Top Australian all-rounder Mitchell Marsh has decided to undergo surgery on his ankle in a bid to be fit for next year's ICC Men's Cricket World Cup in India, and will likely miss Australia's tour of India at the end of the home season.
The 31-year-old Marsh's decision means he will miss the entire summer of cricket in Australia through injury, according to ICC. Marsh has endured recurring issues of the left ankle, with persistent pain almost curtailing his T20 World Cup campaign on home soil.
The 31-year-old is to have keyhole surgery to remove loose bone fragments, and repair cartilage in a bid to be fully fit. Marsh was not selected in Australia's home Test squad to take on the West Indies, but was a travelling member of Australia's most recent tour of Asia, a two-match series against Sri Lanka in July.
Marsh has not played a Test match since the 2019 Ashes, though the all-rounder was looking forward to tour India for Australia's Border-Gavaskar series, a pivotal series in Australia's World Test Championship final push.
Australian chair of selectors George Bailey said in a statement: "Mitchell is an important member of our squads, and we will support him through his recovery period and we are hopeful he will be available for Australian selection for the ODI series against India in March.
"In undertaking the surgery now, it gives Mitchell the best chance to recover and resume his all-rounder skillset which is an important part of our plans for the upcoming year and beyond." Marsh joins fellow all-rounder Glenn Maxwell who will also watch from the sidelines after a freak injury in mid-November.
Maxwell fell and fractured left fibula in an innocuous fall at a friend's house after Australia's unsuccessful T20 World Cup defence.