With a distinctive mustache, unbuttoned shirt and a baggy green cap like a beacon behind the stumps, the sight of Rod Marsh and the sound of his name pervaded Australian summers in the 1970s and early 80s. The cricket great, who formed a prolonged and prolific wicket-taking partnership with Australian pace bowler Dennis Lillee, died in an Adelaide hospital on Friday just over a week after having a heart attack during a fundraising event in Queensland state. He was 74.
A stocky and stoic wicketkeeper-batter, Marsh was half of a catchphrase that was synonymous with the era of test cricket: caught Marsh, bowled Lillee. They combined a record 95 times to dismiss opposition batters in test cricket. "This is a tremendously sad day for Australian cricket and for all those who loved and admired Rod Marsh," Cricket Australia chairman Lachlan Henderson said. "Rod will be forever remembered for the way he played the game and the pleasure he brought crowds as a member of some great Australian teams - 'caught Marsh, bowled Lillee' has iconic status in our game."