Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh flies back home to attend to "family issues"
Ahmedabad, Nov 2: In-form Australia all-rounder Mitchell Marsh left for home on Thursday due to personal reasons for an indefinite period, dealing yet another blow to the team, already hit by Glenn Maxwell's unavailability for the next World Cup match against England due to concussion.
Marsh could be out of the whole tournament as Cricket Australia did not give any timeline for his return.
"A timeline on his return to the squad is to be confirmed," the CA said in a statement.
In Marsh's absence, Cameron Green could be drafted into the team for the match against arch-rivals England here on Saturday.
Fit again team-mate Marcus Stoinis, however, gave hopes that Marsh could return to India for the World Cup.
"He's got a family issue going on and like we all know, family is very important, the most important really," Stoinis told reporters on Thursday.
"He's doing the right thing and he's getting home and he's seeing the people he needs to see. I don't think there's a timeline on when he's coming back, but I'm sure he'll do what he needs to do at home and then get back," he said.
Stoinis said Marsh told him before departing for home that he would be "coming back to win this World Cup".
"He sent me a message last night saying, 'I'll be home for a little bit and then I'm coming back to win this World Cup' so that speaks to his mindset. I joked with him that he just passes the overs back to me now - and thanks for that'. You know that the bases are covered, but we will miss him, and he'll be back soon.
"You miss him off the field in terms of his energy and his personality around the team as much as we're going to miss him on the field but you can pretty much see how the team's going to line-up (without him)."
Australia have already lost fellow all-rounder Maxwell for Saturday's clash against England due to concussion after a freak injury on a golf course, and the absence of Marsh adds further intrigue as the five-time World Cup champions chase a place in the knockout stages of the tournament.
Alex Carey, Sean Abbott, Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green will come into contention to replace Maxwell and Marsh for the match with England, while spinner Tanveer Sangha is travelling with the team as a reserve.
Australia are not allowed to bring in a player from outside their squad to temporarily replace Marsh. Under tournament rules, only an injury (or another reason approved by the ICC) would allow Marsh to then come back in.
Australia do have the option of replacing Marsh should the all-rounder miss the remainder of the tournament, but all replacement players need to be approved by the Event Technical Committee.
Marsh has scored 225 runs and taken two wickets so far in the ongoing World Cup, with his best of 121 with the bat against Pakistan in Bengaluru.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Israel strikes Gaza hospital, forcing evacuation as strikes intensify
Deir Al-Balah (Gaza), Apr 13 (AP): Israel struck a hospital in northern Gaza early Sunday, forcing patients to evacuate as attacks intensified across the Strip.
The pre-dawn strike hit Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City, after Israel issued an evacuation warning, according to Gaza's ministry of health. One patient died during the evacuation because medical staff were unable to provide urgent care, it said.
The hospital, run by the Diocese of Jerusalem, was attacked on Palm Sunday, which commemorates Jesus' entry into Jerusalem.
Hours later, a separate strike on a car in Deir al-Balah in central Gaza, killed at least seven people, according to staff at the morgue of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, which received the bodies.
Israel said it struck a command and control centre used by Hamas at the hospital to plan and execute attacks against Israeli civilians and soldiers. It said prior to the strike, steps were taken to mitigate harm, including issuing warnings, and using precise munitions and aerial surveillance.
The strikes came hours after Israel's defense minister said that military activity would rapidly expand across Gaza and that people would have to evacuate from “fighting zones.” Israel also announced Saturday the completion of the Morag corridor, cutting off the southern city of Rafah from the rest of Gaza, with the military saying it would soon expand “vigorously” in most of the small coastal territory.
Israeli authorities have vowed to pressure Hamas to release the remaining 59 hostages, 24 believed to be alive, and accept proposed new ceasefire terms.
Director of Al-Ahli Hospital, Dr. Fadel Naim, said they were warned of the attack before it was struck. In a post on X, he wrote that the emergency room, pharmacy and surrounding buildings were severely damaged, impacting more than 100 patients and dozens of medical staff.
The health ministry said the strike destroyed the ward for outpatients and laboratories and damaged the emergency ward.
Medical facilities often come under fire in wars, but combatants usually depict such incidents as accidental or exceptional, since hospitals enjoy special protection under international law. In its 18-month campaign in Gaza, Israel has stood out by carrying out an open campaign on hospitals, besieging and raiding them, some several times, as well as hitting multiple others in strikes while accusing Hamas of using them as cover for its fighters.
Last month Israel struck Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis city, the largest in southern Gaza, killing two people and wounding others and causing a large fire, the territory's health ministry said. The facility was overwhelmed with dead and wounded when Israel ended the ceasefire with a surprise wave of airstrikes.
The war started after Hamas killed 1,200 people during its Oct. 7, 2023, attack, mostly civilians, and took 250 people captive, many of whom have been freed in ceasefire deals.
More than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza have so far been killed in Israel's retaliatory offensive, according to the health ministry there, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.
