Mitchell Marsh grilled on ball-tampering as England clash looms

Journalists grilled Mitchell Marsh, firing off questions about ball-tampering as Australia's stand-in captain declined to comment ahead of the ODI series opener against England at home.

Marsh was not allowed to settle into the pre-match press conference as a local reporter began by asking if he knew sandpaper was being used to tamper with cricket balls in South Africa. 

"You've six off the first ball there, mate. Well done," replied Marsh in his quintessentially humorous way.

However, Marsh soon became quite frustrated with the reporter grilling him over the same topic repeatedly.

Here's how the exchange between Marsh and the reporter panned out:

Reporter: Mitch, did you know that sandpaper was being used to tamper with cricket balls in South Africa?

Mitchell Marsh: Jeez, you just hit a six off the first ball there, mate. Well done. Look, there's obviously been a lot of noise around this week, and I respect that certain people have told their stories, but I'm not here to share mine today. I know that might sound weird, but it's a big week for us, and it's an important time for this one-day group, and my sole focus has been on preparing for tomorrow. 

Reporter: You're walking out to captain Australia tomorrow. Why can't you give the Australian people a yes or no? 

Mitchell Marsh: That's exactly it. I'm walking out tomorrow to captain my country in a really exciting series against England in a World Cup year, and my focus has been on that this week. 

Reporter: It's about more than just tomorrow's game, though, isn't it? Do people deserve to know it? You've been keeping that to yourself for eight years? 

Mitchell Marsh: Yeah, for me, tomorrow's really important, so that's where my focus has been. 

Reporter: Can you say yes or no? Did you know that sandpaper was being used to tamper with balls in the 2018 South Africa Test? 

Mitchell Marsh: Yeah, look, as I said, I'm not here to go back on my recollections of South Africa.

Reporter: Usman says that the entire team knows, including yourself. He says that players like yourself let others take the blame for that. Is that accurate, or is he lying?

Mitchell Marsh: Look, as I've already stated, I really respect that Uzi's told his story. He's written his book, and my focus is really on tomorrow. 

Reporter: Is Uzi lying, or is it...? 

Mitchell Marsh: As I said, I'm not here to go back on my recollections of South Africa. I'm solely focused on tomorrow, mate, and you've asked the same question now.

Reporter: Why did you not go through it, and why can you not confront that head-on? 

Mitchell Marsh: My honest answer is because I've personally moved on. I respect that others probably haven't, but I have, and I hope that's respected. And at the start of the summer for me, it's a really important one for us. We've got a great summer coming up, and it's my responsibility now in this moment to lead this group of a pretty inexperienced side.