Mercury (Hobart)

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- JUSTIN CHADWICK

TEST all-rounder Mitch Marsh has apologised for his moment of madness that saw him punch a wall in frustratio­n, vowing never to do it again.

Marsh will miss four to six weeks after scans confirmed he broke his right hand when he punched a wall after getting dismissed against Tasmania on Sunday. The injury means Marsh will miss the start of the Test summer, and there’s no guarantees he will win back his spot when he recovers.

The 27-year-old says he had never punched a wall before Sunday’s incident, and has vowed to learn from his mistake.

“It certainly will be an isolated incident, that’s for sure, and it won’t be happening again,” Marsh (pictured left) said.

“It’s a good lesson for me, hopefully it’s a good lesson for other people as well.

“At the end of the day it’s a game of cricket. Sometimes you get beaten, sometimes you get out, and you can’t be punching walls. As a captain, I’ve done a lot of work setting a good example on and off the field over the last 18 months since I took over.

“This is a small hiccup for me. I said I was disappoint­ed in myself and it won’t happen again, and it’s not an example I want to be setting not only for my teammates, but for everyone here at the WACA and everyone else in cricket.”

Marsh was wearing a glove when he punched the wall, and he knew straight away that he had suffered serious damage.

“It’s my middle finger, just below the wrist there — a fracture straight through the bone,” said Marsh, who was sporting a big cast when he fronted the media yesterday.

As for the message from Australia coach Justin Langer?

“He just told me I’m an idiot basically. He was disappoint­ed for me,” Marsh said.

The WA skipper apologised to his teammates after the incident.

“It’s pretty uncharacte­ristic of me to want to punch a wall. I’m a pretty easygoing sort of bloke,” Marsh said.

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