Marsh could face ban if Australia manipulate Scotland result to knock England out

Josh Hazlewood has suggested that Australia might consider manipulating the margin of their victory over Scotland to potentially knock England out of the T20 World Cup 2024. However, this could lead to captain Mitchell Marsh facing a ban if match officials find such actions deliberate.

The precise calculations will only become clear after England's matches against Oman and Namibia, with a loss in either game ending their campaign. A possible scenario might arise where Australia could win their final group match by a narrow enough margin to ensure Scotland progresses at England’s expense on net run-rate, with both teams tied at five points each.

### Hazlewood's Comments
Hazlewood commented after Australia secured their Super Eight spot with a decisive win over Namibia, "In this tournament, you potentially come up against England at some stage again. They’re probably one of the top teams on their day, and we’ve struggled against them in T20 cricket. If we can get them out of the tournament, that’s in our best interest as well as probably everyone else."

He added, "It’ll be interesting to see. We’ve never really been in this position before as a team, I don’t think, so whether we have discussions or not, we’ll just try and play it again the way we did tonight. That’ll be up to [other] people, not me."

### Potential Risks
If Australia deliberately manipulates their net run-rate, Marsh could be banned for up to two of the three Super Eight fixtures. He could face charges under Article 2.11 of the ICC’s code of conduct, designed to prevent game manipulation for "inappropriate strategic or tactical reasons."

This article covers the inappropriate manipulation of net run-rate, holding the captain responsible and potentially charging them with a Level Two offence. Sanctions range from a 50% match fee fine to four demerit points and two suspension points, potentially sidelining Marsh for the first two Super Eight matches.

### Historical Context and Strategy
Australia's head coach, Andrew McDonald, might consider resting players for the Scotland match if nothing is at stake. This situation recalls the 1999 ODI World Cup when Australia attempted to manipulate the system against the West Indies with a slow batting performance to carry extra points into the Super Sixes.

Hazlewood hinted at strategic options, "Whether you get close and you just knock it around and drag it out. There are a few options there, but taking confidence from winning and winning well is almost more important than potentially trying to knock someone else out. England still have a lot to do on their behalf, so it’ll become clearer as we get closer to that point."

### Tournament Format
Since net run-rates don’t carry forward to the Super Eights, manipulating results won’t impact Australia’s progression. Hazlewood found it odd, "It’s a little bit strange that it doesn’t go through the tournament. This is probably the first T20 World Cup I’ve played that’s set up this way. The work you do in the round games, if you go through undefeated and have a good net run-rate, doesn’t account for much once you’re in the Super Eights. So, yeah, it’s a strange one but that’s how it is."

### Conclusion
Australia's potential strategy to manipulate match results poses risks, especially for Marsh. The upcoming matches and England's performance will clarify the situation. For now, Australia’s primary focus remains on playing their game and securing wins confidently.