Rod Marsh: Australia’s finest pair of gloves kept the wicket while taking catches and missiles

All those who believe Rodney Marsh – who passed away on March 4 at the age of 74 – was nicknamed Bacchus, after the Roman god of wine and carousing, keeping in mind his fondness for Foster’s lager will be disappointed. For the reason is actually far more prosaic. The train Marsh and his mates were travelling in made a long, unscheduled stop, and from the window all anyone could see was half the station’s name: Marsh. When the train finally moved, they saw the full name: Bacchus Marsh a suburb in Victoria, Australia.

Rod Marsh – 355 wicketkeeping dismissals (343 catches and 12 stumpings in 96 Tests), and 120 victims in 92 one-day internationals – will remain a scintillating name regardless of who scores how many runs and takes how many catches. Because he was part of the group that paved the way for Australian cricket’s superstardom.

It’s hard to imagine an Australian Test team today that loses four out of four Tests in a series in South Africa and then, loses the Ashes at home 0-2. But that’s exactly where Australia was when the ‘new Australia’, led by the Brothers Chappell, Marsh, Doug Walters, Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson took charge. Bill Lawry resigned towards the end of the 1971 Ashes series and Australia never suffered such indignities again – apart from in the Kerry Packer era when a combination of the third and fourth XI played for the country, while others including Marsh played for the TV mogul.

The ‘c. Marsh b. Lillee’ line in scorecards became the stuff of legend, figuring an amazing 95 times in Test cricket records. After England comprehensively defeated Australia in 1970-71, the English returned in November 1974 with five pace bowlers – Geoff Arnold, Mike Hendrick, Chris Old and Peter Lever led by Bob Willis – believing that Lillee wouldn’t be fit for the first Test in Brisbane. Not only was Lillee fit, but Australia had found another fast bowler, unsung till then: Jeff Thomson. Who would open the bowling for Australia?

During the Brisbane Test, Aussie skipper Ian Chappell imagined it would be Lillee, of course, with medium-fast Max Walker into the wind and then, Thomson, first change. After the first over, Chappell suddenly changed his mind and threw the ball to Thomson. Chappell, who had played John Snow, Peter Pollock and Mike Proctor recently, hadn’t seen anyone bowl that quick into the wind. Lillee and Thomson blew England away. Marsh, a long way behind the stumps, after keeping to Thomson’s blitzkrieg over, had tossed the ball to Greg Chappell in second slip while wringing his hands. ‘Something wrong, pal?’ Ian Chappell had asked. Marsh famously replied, ‘Christ, that hurt. But I love it.’

Seeing Marsh tape his fingers and then put on his wicketkeeping gloves, one teammate asked, ‘Bacchus, when is your bout?’ In that 1974-75 Ashes, Australia won four and lost the sixth by an innings only because Lillee didn’t play and Thomson injured himself early on. It wasn’t just one series. The next winter, the West Indies led by Clive Lloyd, and including Roy Fredericks, Gordon Greenidge, Alvin Kallicharan, Vivian Richards, Andy Roberts and Michael Holding lost 1-5 to the Aussies. Behind the stumps, Marsh pocketed all the edges.

Earlier, there were those who saw Marsh’s sloppy work in his 1970-71 debut series and named him ‘Iron Gloves’. Marsh himself, seeing England wicket-keeper Alan Knott’s work in the series, kept bareheaded, leaving behind his baggy green cap in the dressing room, in shame. He would soon become a great keeper and a more-than-useful batsman.

Marsh is remembered for winning the infamous £7,500 bet Lillee and he placed on England winning the 1981 Headingley Test in 1981 after England had followed on, only to have Botham and Willis destroy Australia. But he is also remembered for shaking his head vigorously and walking away when Greg Chappell, then captain, asked his brother Trevor to bowl under-arm to ensure an Australian victory against New Zealand the same year. Underarm, Marsh felt, was underhand. He was that kind of cricketer.