Australia PM Scott Morrison leads tributes to cricket great Rod Marsh
cricket was in mourning on Friday following the death of Rod Marsh, with tributes for the former wicketkeeper by Prime Minister Scott Morrison and from across the cricketing community. Marsh, who played 96 Tests and 92 one-day internationals in the 1970s and 1980s, was 74 and died in Adelaide after a heart attack while on his way to a charity event in Bundaberg in Queensland on February 24. "Very sad to hear of the passing of Rod Marsh," Morrison wrote on Twitter.
"As a kid he was my favourite player. He was part of one of the most exciting eras in Australian and world cricket. He will be remembered as one of Australia's greatest ever Test cricket players." Regarded as one of Australia's finest wicketkeepers, Marsh retired in 1984 with a then-world record tally of 355 dismissals. He is fourth on the all-time dismissals list behind South Africa's Mark Boucher (555) and Australians Adam Gilchrist (416) and Ian Healy (395).
Read Also'A colossal figure': Australian cricket great Rod Marsh dies at 74The 74-year-old Marsh, who played 96 Tests and was later a long-time national selector, had been in an induced coma and passed away peacefully in an Adelaide hospital on Friday morning, his family confirmed.
"I'm shattered, absolutely stunned," Gilchrist told the 6PR broadcaster. "I thought he was invincible. He was my absolute idol and hero and inspiration as to why I pursued what I did. "The impact he had on my life is profound." Marsh's death was confirmed by his son, Paul, in a statement released by the Australian Cricketers' Association.
"On behalf of my mother Ros and brothers Dan and Jamie, it is with immense sadness that I advise that my father Rod passed away peacefully early this morning," said Marsh's son, Paul. "He
