Australian cricket lost one of its most famous personalities today. Rodney Marsh who was one of the world’s best wicket keepers passed away in Adelaide after failing to recover from a heart attack that he had suffered a few days ago. He belonged to an era when the Aussies ruled the world with their fiery brand of cricket under the captaincy of Ian Chappell.
When the news broke in Hyderabad, the saddest man was former Test cricketer and Hyderabad captain Shivlal Yadav. He told siasat.com: “Marsh was a good friend. Although we were rivals on the field, when we were not playing, we hit it off well. I often had a beer or two with him. It was easy to get along with him because he had no airs and no complexes.”
“During our Test match against Australia in Melbourne, when their fast bowler Len Pascoe broke my toe with a yorker, Rodney warned me from behind the stumps. Look out mate, he is going to come down – Rodney told me. At the time I did not understand what Rod was talking about and in the heat of the match, there was no time to ask what he meant.”
“But just a few balls later Pascoe hurled down a yorker and that broke my toe,” recalls Yadav. “It was later that I asked Rodney about his remark and he told me that he was warning me about his teammate Pascoe’s game plan to injure me. First Pascoe bowled bouncers and the ball hit my helmet, then my shoulders and arms and then came that high speed yorker which landed on my toe,” said Shivlal.
The fact that Shivlal took painkillers and continued to bat with a broken toe is one of the stories of bravery that highlight the commitment of our cricketers.
According to experts of his days, Marsh was a keeper with a keen sense of anticipation. Without this quality it would be impossible to keep wickets to bowlers who regularly sent down deliveries at 150 kmph. Present Australian captain Pat Cummins said that Marsh knew the game inside out. His advice from behind the stumps helped the bowlers to formulate tactics to dismiss rival batsmen.
A wicket keeper plays a crucial role in the performance of any team. In this respect Marsh was invaluable to his side. Had it not been for his excellence behind the stumps, the great bowlers of those days like Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson and Max Walker would not have been as effective as they were.
Coincidentally, in his Test career, Marsh ended up with a tally of 355 victims which was the same number as his close friend and teammate, fast bowler Dennis Lillee’s tally of wickets. At the time it was a world record. In fact the line “caught Marsh bowled Lillee,” became one of the most frequently written lines on the scorecards of Test cricket matches all over the world whenever Australia was playing.
His trademark was his colourful personality and his acrobatic catches. Despite being a stocky and heavily built person, he could hurl himself in different directions to take stunning catches whenever the batsmen edged steeply rising deliveries from Thomson and Lillee. Needless to say, he was a much loved figure among Australian cricket fans.
Marsh was born on 4th November, 1947, in Armadale which is a suburb of Perth in Western Australia. Rodney and his older brother Graham represented the Western Australian cricket team before Graham left cricket and made a successful career in golf. Rodney continued with cricket. He was initially not too good in his role as keeper. There was a time when he was nicknamed “Iron Gloves” for his inability to hold on to catches. Every time the ball seemed to bounce out of his gloves. But by sheer hard work he perfected his game and became one of the best wicket keepers that Australian cricket had seen.
Today, tributes poured in from the great names of world cricket. “He was a tough player but very fair,” said Steve Waugh. “He was respected by all those who played with him and against him,” said Ian Chappell. “He was a legend and an inspiration for our youth,” said Shane Warne. “He was one of the best people I knew,” said Ricky Ponting. “He was my childhood hero and my coach. He was a gentleman I admired,” said Brett Lee.
Truly a legend of world cricket has left the ground for the last time, not to ever return.