Mitchell Marsh backs Australia to bounce back against Bangladesh in T20Is

Australia captain Mitchell Marsh said on Tuesday that his side is confident of bouncing back in the three-match T20I series against Bangladesh despite fielding a new-look squad.

Australia will take on the hosts in the opening game of the series in Chattogram on June 17, with the remaining matches scheduled for June 19 and 21.

Marsh admitted the tour had been difficult so far after Australia lost the ODI series 2-1, but said the return of several experienced players has boosted the team's hopes of turning things around.

Several senior T20 specialists joined the squad ahead of the series, including Tim David and all-rounder Aaron Hardie. Marsh himself did not feature in the ODI series as he was recovering from injury.

The Australia skipper was particularly full of praise for Singapore-born batter Tim David, describing him as one of the finest middle-order batters in the shortest format.

"Absolutely. I think anytime you welcome, in my opinion, one of the best middle-order players in the world into your team – experienced and really confident in his ability – it's a huge boost. We welcome him back into our side and he's really valuable to us. So it's great to have him back," Marsh told reporters on Tuesday.

"We've got a big changeover in personnel. The guys are really looking forward to this series," he said.

"No doubt it's been a tough tour, but we're going in with high hopes of winning this series and playing some really good cricket."

"We've got some experienced guys coming back, no doubt. We've also got fresh faces and some young players who will provide great energy, and we're looking forward to the challenge of playing against Bangladesh," he added.

Marsh also said he was impressed by Bangladesh's emerging fast-bowling resources and believes the hosts cannot be taken lightly. Bangladesh's pacers played a key role in securing the country's maiden ODI series win over Australia in Dhaka.

"I think it's really exciting for Bangladesh cricket to have some quick bowlers. We've seen different conditions to what we experienced in 2021, and I think that's great for cricket. We look forward to the 2027 World Cup in South Africa. It's a really exciting prospect for them, and we look forward to that challenge of playing against them in this format now," said Marsh.

"I've never been here and never played at this ground, so it's new and exciting for me too. There's a bit of grass coverage on the wicket. It looks like a nice surface and I'm sure it's going to provide a great and entertaining game of cricket."

"They're a well-rounded side. They've been playing some really good cricket of late, and that will provide us with a great challenge – one that we'll be up for," he concluded.