Mitch Marsh continues hot form with third 50 as Lucknow defeat Mumbai Indians

Mitch Marsh has blasted a match-winning IPL half-century for Lucknow Super Giants on the day he committed his future back home to the Perth Scorchers.

Australia’s T20 skipper celebrated re-signing with the Scorchers for three more years by reminding his Big Bash outfit just why he’s worth every dollar as he grabbed the player of the match award in Lucknow’s 12-run win over Mumbai Indians on Friday.

Marsh ignited Lucknow’s assault in front of their home fans after they’d been put in to bat, clouting his third half-century in four matches -- his sixth IPL fifty in all.

The 33-year-old powerhouse dominated an opening partnership with Aiden Markram, reaching his 50 off 27 balls while the South African, starved of the strike amid the Aussie’s one-man pyrotechnics, was on just seven at the other end.

Markram watched on in admiration as Marsh raced to his fifty by taking 22 off the final over of the power play bowled by the unfortunate Ashwani Kumar.

Having hit two sixes and nine fours in his 31-ball knock of 60, Marsh was clearly annoyed with himself when he got a little tangled up against the wrist spin of left-armer Vignesh Puthur and chipped one straight back to the bowler just when he’d looked in the mood for a hundred.

But Markram then took up the cudgels to make 53 and, helped by brisk knocks of 30 from Ayush Badoni and 27 from David Miller, who went past 3000 IPL runs in the process, the Justin Langer-coached outfit reached 8-203 off their 20 overs.

In reply, Mumbai had looked on course for victory when the inimitable Suryakumar Yadav made 67 off 43 balls in his 100th IPL game but Avesh Khan induced him to mistime a ramp which changed the whole complexion of ther game.

Captain Hardik Pandya (28no off 16), who’d earlier excelled with 5-36 when Lucknow batted, looked set for one of his special finishes, but a target of 22 off the final over proved beyond even him as as the outstanding Avesh gave up just nine, leaving Mumbai short on 5-191.

It all capped a terrific day for Marsh, who had declared earlier that he wanted to end his career as a one-club player in the BBL after committing long-term to the Scorchers again.

He’d been out of contract at the end of last season and wasn’t among the Scorchers’ 10 pre-signed players before the player movement window, which prompted speculation over whether he could move.

“I’m really proud to sign on with the Scorchers, a team that I’ve played with since I was a kid, and a franchise that has looked after me incredibly well,” Marsh said.

“Being a one-club player was a big part of my decision, which was obviously quite an easy decision.

“With the landscape of cricket these days, a lot of us play for a lot of different teams around the world and the idea of always coming home and playing for the Scorchers and hopefully finishing my career as a one-club player will be something I’m really proud of in years to come.”