WATCH | “Bit fat at times and love a beer,” teary Mitch Marsh celebrates AB Medal with all-time great speech

SportsCafe Desk

BySportsCafe Desk, SportsCafe Editor

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Sport has the power to channel the inner personality of a human being and bring the best out of an individual. Mitch Marsh’s humorous speech with a mix of emotion and gags after earning his maiden Allan Border Medal saw him lay his emotions bare at the Cricket Australia Annual Awards 2024.

In one of the great Australian comebacks of all time, Mitch Marsh triumphed in the race for the prestigious Allan Border Medal 2024 at the Cricket Australia Awards and followed it with a speech to remember for the ages. The prestigious honour is bestowed to the best performing Australian cricket across formats each year through voting by the players, media, and umpires. Marsh came out on top with 223 votes, beating out skipper Pat Cummins (144 votes) and Steve Smith (141 votes).

A fairytale year saw the all-rounder make a sudden comeback to the red-ball squad after a three-year absence during the Ashes 2023 and immediately smash a momentum-changing run-a-ball century in Leeds before ending as the leading run-getter in the Australian summer with four half-centuries in eight innings, including scores of 90 and 96 against Pakistan. Marsh also struck two huge centuries enroute to Australia lifting the 2023 ODI World Cup, right after leading the T20I team for the first time in South Africa where he produced scores of 92*, 79*, and 15. 

The 32-year-old heaped praise on his childhood coach, teammates and wife. He revealed he thought he was "done and dusted" before his wife Greta helped him regain courage and “get one more crack at it (Test cricket)”.

The all-format mainstay also lauded his Australia men’s coach Andrew McDonald and captain Pat Cummins, acknowledging "it is a dream to play" under the fast-bowler's leadership. 

“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."

In typical cheeky fashion, Marsh capped off the speech by thanking his father Rodney Marsh and brother Shaun Marsh, stating he should get off stage lest the former tells him off for weeping.

The Australian became the first all-rounder to attain the honour since Shane Watson a decade ago with Steve Smith (4 times), David Warner (3 times), Mitchell Starc, and Pat Cummins (1 each) earning the medal in the past years.

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