'I won't be counted on either side' - Marsh

Geoff Marsh has brushed aside criticism that suggested he was insensitive to the plight of Zimbabwe's rebel cricketers, saying he was caught in the middle of the whole unsavoury episode. Earlier this week, Grant Flower - one of the players who has stood down from the squad in support of Heath Streak, the deposed captain - said that Marsh was sitting on the fence, only concerned with seeing out his contract.

Marsh's contract with the Zimbabwe Cricket Union expires in September, and he insisted that he was helpless to do anything regarding the current standoff. And while he admitted his frustration at coaching "a bunch of kids" to humiliating defeats against Sri Lanka, Marsh said his role was simply to work on the players selected.

"I'm not too concerned by what Grant or anyone has said because it's not my role to get involved on either side," he told the Sydney Morning Herald. "Once you get into that situation, you're getting out of what I'm here for."

He added that he had spoken to the rebel players. "[The rebels] have spoken to me. They understand my situation here. There's definitely no friction between those players and myself. Considering I go and have a braai [barbecue] with them every second night, I don't think there's any problem there."

If the current impasse is not resolved, Zimbabwe face the unappetising prospect of taking on Australia next month with what is effectively a second-string side that would barely pass muster in club competition.

"There's nothing you can do about it, can you?" said Marsh. "They're just a bunch of kids. The tour has to go ahead - we're just hoping we get some players back. Basically I've been told to do my job and that's it. I've got my own beliefs about what's happening but I won't be counted on either side."