Rod Marsh, Australia wicketkeeping great, dies at 74

SYDNEY: Rod Marsh, an iconic presence behind the stumps for Australia in test matches of the 1970s and early 1980s and inextricably linked with that of fast bowler Dennis Lillee, died on Friday (Mar 4) at the age of 74, his family said.

Marsh remained a hugely popular figure in the cricket community and he was on his way to a charity function in Queensland eight days ago when he suffered a massive heart attack that ultimately proved fatal.

"Caught Marsh, bowled Lillee" appeared on test scorecards 95 times as the moustachioed Western Australian combination wreaked havoc on opposing batting orders in a golden era for cricket Down Under.

Teak-tough and a fierce competitor, Marsh's burly physique belied a great athleticism and his sure hands helped him to a tally of 355 dismissals when he retired in 1984, then a test record.

While it still places him fourth on the all-time list of dismissals behind the stumps, and earned him a spot in the ICC Hall of Fame, Marsh was more than a one-dimensional gloveman.

He was the first wicketkeeper to score a century for Australia when he made 118 against Pakistan in 1972, and added two more hundreds amongst 3,633 test runs at an average of 26.51 over his 96 tests.

His career also encompassed the birth of one-day cricket. He scored 1,225 runs in 92 short format matches for his country despite playing for a couple of years in the rebel World Series Cricket.

Greg Chappell, Australia's captain for the latter part of Marsh's career, said his contribution to the team went further than catches, stumpings and runs.

"Rod was the spiritual leader of the group," he told Nine Media. "He gave everything to the team. He loved a win more than any of us, hated a lose more than any of us ...

"And if you needed to