Australian legend Rod Marsh, 74, passes away after suffering cardiac arrest

The former Australian legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Rodney Marsh has passed away aged 74 in a hospital in Adelaide on Friday (4 March 2022), a week after suffering a heart attack during a fundraising event in Queensland state.

Being regarded as one of the finest ever glovesmen behind the stumps in the history of Australian cricket, Marsh donned the baggy green on 96 occasions and represented his nation in 92 ODIs as well in a career spanning 14 long years from 1970 to 1984. 

The legendary keeper-batter was well-known for many cricketing heroics and partnerships. However, one of them was with the great Dennis Lille himself. Marsh was involved in ninety-five of Lille’s dismissals, which is one of the rarest feats.

“Wickets were caught by Marsh and the term ‘caught Marsh, bowled Lillle’ became folklore,” John Bertrand, the chairman of the hall of fame said. 

“He created history and was respected by all those he played with and against”, he further added.  

The left-handed batter was also the first Australian keeper to notch a Test-match century, reaching to that magical milestone in December of 72’ against Intikhab Alam’s Pakistan. 

For his incredible performances, Marsh was inducted into the Sport Australia hall of fame in 1985, immediately after his retirement from international cricket. 

After retiring from cricket, the Armadale-born led the National cricket academics in Australia and also served as the inaugural head of the ICC world coaching academy in Dubai. He was further appointed as Australia’s chairman of selectors in 2014 and did his job as a successful administrator for 2 years. 

The cricketing fraternity is shattered and many legendary names have shown respect in their respective capacity. 

Marsh’s former teammate Paul Sheahan while talking to Fox Sports said, “He was one of the smallest giants I think I’ve come across. He was like a giant oak that got cut down. You just could not envisage that he got chopped down. It was extraordinary.