Australia's workload plan hands Marsh permanent ODI captaincy role

Mitchell Marsh will captain Australia in the first ODI against South Africa on Thursday after Pat Cummins was rested to manage his workload ahead of the Test series. Cummins has played only two of Australia's 31 ODIs since the 2023 World Cup and is expected to miss at least the opening match.

Australia will rotate their leading fast bowlers across the three ODIs, with Nathan Ellis likely to feature in all three games. Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are also expected to sit out matches as the team prepares for the Test series that starts next month.

The arrangement leaves Marsh as the de facto full-time white-ball captain for the tour. He has now led Australia in 13 of their last 31 ODIs, compared with Cummins' two appearances in the role.