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Full name Rodney William Marsh
Born November 4, 1947, Armadale, Perth, Western Australia
Current age 60 years 343 days
Major teams Australia,Western Australia
Also known as Iron Gloves, Bacchus
Batting style Left-hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm offbreak
Fielding position Wicketkeeper
Other Coach
Relations Son - P Marsh,Son - DJ Marsh,Son - JI Marsh
Batting and fielding averages
Mat
Inns
NO
Runs
HS
Ave
BF
SR
100
50
4s
6s
Ct
St
Tests
96
150
13
3633
132
26.51
3
16
381
24
343
12
ODIs
92
76
15
1225
66
20.08
1489
82.26
0
4
86
17
120
4
First-class
257
396
41
11067
236
31.17
12
55
803
66
List A
140
114
22
2119
99*
23.03
0
9
182
6
Bowling averages
Mat
Inns
Balls
Runs
Wkts
BBI
BBM
Ave
Econ
SR
4w
5w
10
Tests
96
2
72
54
0
-
-
-
4.50
-
0
0
0
ODIs
92
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
First-class
257
84
1
1/0
84.00
0
0
List A
140
23
18
0
-
-
-
4.69
-
0
0
0
Career statistics
Test debut
Australia v England at Brisbane, Nov 27-Dec 2, 1970 scorecard
Last Test
Australia v Pakistan at Sydney, Jan 2-6, 1984 scorecard
Test statistics
ODI debut
Australia v England at Melbourne, Jan 5, 1971 scorecard
Last ODI
Australia v West Indies at Melbourne, Feb 12, 1984 scorecard
ODI statistics
First-class span
1968/69 - 1983/84
List A span
1969/70 - 1983/84
Profile
Thick-set in build and combative in approach, Rodney Marsh remains one of
the most respected wicketkeepers to have ever played international cricket.
During a Test career which bridged a period of 14 years until his
retirement in 1983-84, he collected a then world-record tally of 355
dismissals; the combination of his concentration, athleticism and highly
skilled glovework earning him enormous admiration among spectators and
fellow players alike. Marsh enjoyed no easy passage to the top - he was
forced to cool his heels at first-class level as a specialist batsman
initially and then endured strident criticism when he was promoted to the
national team ahead of the popular Brian Taber - but there was little
argument about his credentials in either arena thereafter.
Although he did not cut the perfect athletic figure, Marsh was nimble-footed
and his capacity to move acrobatically to intercept errant deliveries and catches was a constant feature. He was an invaluable player for both Western Australia and Australia, and the inextricability of his association with the fast bowler Dennis Lillee - the dismissal "caught Marsh bowled Lillee" was recorded 95 times in Tests - is one of the
legends of cricket in their country. Apart from his wicketkeeping talents, he was also an excellent batsman in his own right, scoring three Test centuries, and his forceful
strokeplay lay at the core of many stubborn Australian lower-order performances.
After retirement, Marsh enhanced his already glowing reputation with a fruitful stint as the head of the Australian Cricket Academy at Adelaide, overseeing players such as Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee. Taking his talents abroad in 2002, Marsh was teased by his former team-mates for accepting the director's role of the old enemy's new National Academy. A year later one of the toughest men to play for Australia was appointed an England selector, and he has made useful contributions to the country's on-field renaissance. Stepping down from both roles in September 2005, he left having helped England regain the Ashes.
John Polack
Notes
Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1982
Australian Cricket Hall of Fame 2005
ECB National Academy coach 2002-05
England selector 2003-05
Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy coach 1990-2001
