Name:

Marsh, Rodney W

Nickname:

Rod, Bacchus, Iron Gloves

Date of Birth:

11 Nov 1947

Gender:

Men

Place of Birth:

Armadale

Date Died:

04 Mar 2022

Career:

Test: 1970 - 1984
ODI: 1971 - 1984
First Class: 1968 - 1984

Teams:

WA (Regional)
Australia (Country)

Golden Catches - A Selection of the Best (70s and 80s)

Rod Marsh: Iron-gloves became Golden-gloves

Born : 4 November 1947 at Armadale, Perth, Western Australia, Australia

Rod Marsh was an outstanding wicket-keeper and pugnacious batsman. He was nick-named 'Iron Gloves' after his first Test series in 1970/71 against England as a result of the number of times he dropped the ball. But, he rapidly put that behind him and went on to set the record for most dismissals in Test cricket.

His career, both for Australia and Western Australia coincided almost exactly with Dennis Lillee's and the pair set a record world record combining for 95 Test dismissals. As a batsman he was most adept at the square-cut and scored 110* against England in the Centenary Test in 1977. He went on to become a successful coach, notably at both the Australian and English national academies. His brother Graham was a successful professional golfer.

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.

Marsh died on 4 March 2022 aged 74, after suffering a heart attack a week earlier.