DANE ELDRIDGE: Hard to think Mitch Marsh ever thought he was Australia’s most hated

In a country that celebrates its larrikins, it’s staggering to think we once shunned a bloke who can put away a bad ball with as much conviction as a beer.

But even though we lionise Boonie for drinking dry a flight to London, we still hectored a knockabout like Mitch Marsh so much that he was booed at a Boxing Day Test like a seccie who’d punctured a beach ball.

Accused of being a selectors pet and criminalised for having the same last name as his brother Shaun and father Geoff, the big Sandgroper was guilty of committing the one crime Aussie fans never forgive: getting picked without their approval.

Admittedly his form was modest in his early years - he averaged a lean 21.74 with the bat and an indifferent 37 with the ball in his first 21 tests - but the level of condemnation never fit the crime.

In fact, Marsh had his character assassinated at such disproportionate frequency that he once believed “most of Australia hate me” during the 2019 Ashes.

In hindsight, it was a chapter in our cricketing history as egregious as the underarm scandal or Victoria’s decision in the nineties to play in shorts.

Thankfully Marsh has since flourished to be best known as a destructive batsman, a handy seamer in his pomp, and most importantly, the first bloke picked for every teammates bucks party.

Marsh is as knockabout cobber who’s as perky for team morale as a wicket on the stroke of lunch - and it’s a virtue not lost on his teammates.

In fact, the 34-year-old has carved such a unique groove in Australia’s pecking order that he was secretly earmarked to open the Test batting this summer and he publicly knocked it back because he planned to be “six beers by lunch on day one.”

Yep, Marsh is the bloke we all want to share a partnership or a change room with - but with a T20 World Cup on the horizon, could he be remembered as more than just an all-rounder with good vibes?

By pairing with Travis Head at the top of the order, could he figure as heavily with the bat in the ICC event as he did for the Scorchers?

And as Australia’s skipper, could he cap his thunderous white-ball summer by lifting an international trophy after the embarrassing exit at the hands of Afghanistan at the last T20 World Cup?

Sure, overcoming an imperious Indian T20 side that has won its last 11 series won’t be easy on the powdery decks of the subcontinent.

But accomplishing such a feat would thrust Marsh in to Aussie folklore as a trophy winning captain - and a bloody popular one at that.

If you missed it, the barrel-chested right-hander had a BBL campaign that was nothing short of sensational.

This was highlighted by a destructive 88 against the Strikers and a 102 from 58 balls against the Hurricanes at Bellerive that was so seismic it rattled vases on King Island, then capped by top scoring for his side in the final on a tricky Optus Stadium pitch that played like an escape room.

But most endearingly, Marsh continued to play with the self-deprecating larrikinisms that have enamoured him to the very public that originally wanted him banished to park cricket.

Just like when he disarmed a prickly Justin Langer’s in the documentary The Test or when he admitted in his AB Medal acceptance speech in 2023 that “I’m a bit fat at times and I love a beer”, Marsh is as knockabout cobber who’s as perky for team morale as a wicket on the stroke of lunch - and it’s a virtue not lost on his teammates.

“On and off the field we’ve had a lot of fun (with Marsh back) this tournament,” fellow opener Finn Allen cooed.

“Having him around the group, he’s a very calming influence for the boys. He’s been great.”

It’s a far cry from Marsh’s grim early years where he couldn’t walk down the street without suffering the hassle of getting harassed or picked prematurely for his country.

And if he can complement his popularity by chartering Australia to a major international trophy, he’ll further bury those years of torment in the back of Australian cricket’s attic alongside those Bushrangers hot pants.