MELBOURNE: Former Australia wicketkeeper Rod Marsh died on Friday aged 74. Marsh suffered a heart attack in Queensland last week and was in an induced coma at Royal Adelaide Hospital until his death.
The Australian great played 96 Tests for his country, scoring three Test centuries and famously claiming a then world record of 355 dismissals for a wicketkeeper behind the stumps.
Marsh was a key part of a formidable combination with champion fast bowler Dennis Lillee and the ‘caught Marsh, bowled Lillee’ dismissal is still the most common way a batter has been dismissed in the history of Test cricket.
Following a glittering 14-year international career as a player, Marsh played a major role in harnessing young stars such as Ricky Ponting and Brett Lee at the Australian Cricket Academy in Adelaide. He was later hand-picked by England to lead their own academy in the lead-up to the 2005 Ashes series.
Marsh also served as a selector for England, before returning to Australia later in his career to replace John Inverarity as chairman of selectors from 2014 until he departed in 2016. Marsh was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009. He also became a Member of the Order of the British Empire in 1982.
The ICC called him a “true legend of the game” while Australia’s prime minister also paid tribute to the man he said was his favourite player. “He was part of one of the most exciting eras in Australian and world cricket,” Scott Morrison said. “He will be remembered as one of Australia’s greatest ever Test cricket players.”
ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice paid tribute, saying it is incredibly sad to hear of Rod’s passing. “He was a true legend of the game who has been part of international cricket for more than 50 years. His skill and talent with the gloves was exceptional, holding the world record for the number of dismissals at the time of his retirement.”
“But his legacy has gone way beyond what he achieved on the field. An ICC Hall of Fame inductee in 2009, he played a significant role in developing young cricketers all around the world. He will be sorely missed and the thoughts of everyone at the ICC are with his family and friends.”
Australia’s current captain Pat Cummins led the tributes from the world of cricket and beyond, calling Marsh a “colossal figure” of the Australian game “He was brilliant to deal with because he knew the game inside-out, but also had a way of dealing with you to put you at your ease.”
“I, along with countless other people in Australia, grew up hearing the stories of him as a fearless and tough cricketer, but his swashbuckling batting and his brilliance behind the stumps over more than a decade made him one of the all-time greats of our sport, not just in Australia, but globally.”
“When I think of Rod I think of a generous and larger-than-life character who always had a life-loving, positive and relaxed outlook, and his passing leaves a massive void in the Australian cricket community. My thoughts, and the thoughts of the entire tour party here in Pakistan, are with Rod’s wife Ros and their family at this terrible time.”
