| Geoff Marsh, the opening batsman from Western Australia, was the tough
nut around which Allan Border reconstructed the Australian team in the
late 1980s. His successes were as much a triumph of will as technique.
Never a natural strokemaker, he often simply refused to be dismissed. He
was no stonewaller, though. At one time he was the most successful
batsman in ODIs in world cricket, reeling off century after century. The
triumph of his will saw him and Mark Taylor bat all day without losing a
wicket on the first day of the Trent Bridge Test of 1989, when he made
138 out of 329. "Swampy" Marsh made his Australian debut against India
at Adelaide in 1984-85, as a number three batsman. The first time he
opened the batting he made 92. He toured New Zealand the same season and
scored 118 in Auckland, then made 101 in the Bombay Test of 1985-86.
Like Dean Jones he was mysteriously overlooked for the Ashes tour of
1985 and he showed his true worth in 1986-87 with 56 and 110 at Brisbane
in the first Test against Mike Gatting's England side, although England
won. He made 84 not out against Pakistan at Lahore in 1988-89. Mark
Taylor became his regular opening partner in Adelaide in a 1988-89 West
Indies series and the two brought a solidity and inevitability to
Australian innings that was reminiscent of Bradman and Ponsford in the
1930s. Marsh made a huge contribution to Australia's World Cup win in
1987, making 110 against India at Madras, 62 against Zimbabwe on the
same ground, 126 not out in Chandigarh against New Zealand and 24 in the
final. (Bob Harragan) |