Rod Marsh, Australian cricket great, dies at age 74

Brisbane: Rod Marsh, an Australian cricket great and the wicketkeeper who formed a prolific wicket-taking partnership with pace bowler Dennis Lillee, has died a week after suffering a heart attack during a fundraising event in Queensland state. He was 74.

The Sport Australia Hall of Fame on Friday confirmed Marsh, who played 96 test matches for Australia from 1970 to 1984, had died in an Adelaide hospital.

Marsh held a test record of 355 dismissals by a wicketkeeper, including 95 off the bowling of Lillee. He also played 92 one-day internationals for Australia before retiring from top-flight cricket in February 1984.

A left-handed batter, he was the first Australian wicketkeeper to score a century in test cricket, and and finished his career with three.

He later led the national cricket academies in Australia and in England and was the inaugural head of the International Cricket Council’s world coaching academy in Dubai. In 2014, he was appointed as Australia’s chairman of selectors and held the position for two years. He was inducted into the Sport Australia Hall of Fame in 1985. The hall of fame’s chairman, John Bertrand, said Marsh was was tactical, spoke without fear and spotted the talents of young cricketers.

“Wickets were caught by Marsh and the term caught Marsh, bowled Lillee’ became folklore,” Bertrand said. “He created history. Respected by all those he played with and against.”