Rod Marsh - Style

Style

Powerfully built, Marsh was regarded as an all rounder for the majority of his career. Coupled with his short stature, his power suited him to the task of keeping wicket. Despite his bulk, which forced him to work heavily on reducing his weight in his early career, he had fast feet movement, combined with fast anticipation and reflexes which allowed him to cover more ground. He raised the role of wicketkeeper to a more prominent status in a team with his acrobatic diving, raucous appeals and habit of throwing a ball high into the air upon completing a dismissal. As the wicketkeeper, he made himself the focal point in the field and attempted to extract higher standards of concentration from both himself and his team-mates. Speaking of his understanding with Lillee, he said “"I've played with him so much now that most of the time I know what he is going to do before he has bowled" Marsh said, "I know from the way he runs up; the angle, the speed, where he hits the crease, where the ball is going to be.”

At state level, Marsh was a noted captain, leading the state to a Sheffield Shield and Gillette Cup double in both forms of the game in 1976–77. He had nine wins and seven losses in 20 Shield matches as captaincy, and seven from nine matches in the limited overs competition.

Marsh was an effective player in ODI matches, contributing as a keeper and a lower order batsmen. His power and aggression was put to good use in the closing overs, when he could score at a rapid rate. In one match against New Zealand in 1980–81, he struck 26 from the final over, with three sixes and two fours, before falling on the final ball.