Marshall - The Pace Battery

Malcolm Denzil Marshall (18 April 1958 - 4 November 1999) was a West Indian cricketer. Marshall is regarded as one of the finest pace bowler ever to have played Test cricket. His Test bowling average of 20.94 is the best of anyone who has taken 200 or more wickets. Marshall was also a lower order aggressive batsman who scored 10 half centuries in Test competition. In an era of great West Indian fast bowlers, at a time when it was an achievement to simply be part of the fearsome quartet (Holding, Garner, Roberts, Croft and later Ambrose, Bishop, Walsh to name a few), Malcolm Marshall’s skill and determination took him to the top of the pile.

Born in Bridgetown, Barbados, Marshall was partly taught cricket by his grandfather, who helped to bring him up after his father was killed in a road accident. He made his first-class debut against Jamaica, and whilst he failed to score runs he claimed 6-77 in the Jamaican first innings. On the back of this single first-class appearance he was selected to tour India in 1978/79.

 Marshall came into limelight in 1980, when in the third Test against England; at Old Trafford he accounted for Mike Gatting, Brian Rose and Peter Willey in short order to spark an England collapse, although the match was eventually drawn. After 1980/81 he was out of the Test side for two years, but an excellent 1982 season when he took 134 wickets at under 16 apiece, including a career-best 8-71 against Worcestershire, saw him recalled and thereafter he remained a fixture until the end of his international career.

In seven successive Test series from 1982/83 to 1985/86 he took 21 or more wickets each time, in the last five of them averaging under 20. His most productive series in this period was the 1983/84 encounter against India, when he claimed 33 wickets as well as averaging 34 with the bat and making his highest Test score of 92 at Kanpur.  

By 1984 Marshall was at his peak and he demoralised England that summer, especially at Headingley, where he ran through the order in the second innings to finish with 7-53, despite having broken his thumb whilst fielding in the first innings. He also came out to bat at number 11 in West Indies' first innings despite his injury, allowing his team to gain a further psychological advantage as Larry Gomes completed an unbeaten century (Marshall batted one-handed that day). Marshall then delivered his opponents an even bigger psychological blow when he took the field with his left wrist in plaster to open the bowling. 
As a bowler, he could swing the ball prodigiously both ways and later developed a near-unplayable leg-cutter. He also possessed a lethal bouncer, a weapon he was very willing to use as the 1985-86 England touring team discovered; Mike Gatting had to head home after Marshall re-arranged his nose in a ODI early in the tour as the West Indies set the tone for the series. In that series, too, he also ended Andy Lloyd's Test career after just half an hour after hitting him on the head.

In 1984/85 he had another successful series at home against New Zealand, although there were calls for the his bouncers to be ruled as intimidatory beyond what was acceptable, and that Marshall should have been admonished by the umpires. 

He fused the aggression of Colin Croft, Andy Roberts’ guile and variety, Joel Garner’s consistency and determination with the grace and rhythm of Michael Holding to become every batsman’s worst nightmare.
1988 saw his career-best Test performance of 7-22 at Old Trafford, and he ended the series with 35 wickets at 12.65. Marshall was coming towards the end of his international career, moreover, and though he took 11 wickets in the match against India at Port of Spain the following winter, he played his last Test at The Oval in 1991. His final Test wicket - his 376th - was that of Graham Gooch. Marshall retired from Test cricket having played in 21 Test series, winning 15 of them, drawing 5 and the only loss coming in his debut series as part of a second string side.

Dedicated to Hampshire, Marshall returned as their overseas player every season from 1979 to 1993. His county record was astounding, 826 first-class wickets at 18.64 and scoring 5847 runs at 25.20.His efforts helped Hampshire to lift the Benson & Hedges Trophy in 1992 scoring 29* and taking 3-33 in the final.
Marshall's final appearances for West Indies came in One Day International cricket - the 1992 World Cup. However, in his five matches in the tournament, he took just two wickets, both in the penultimate game against South Africa at Christchurch. He played provincial cricket for Natal and his experience guidance was an influential spark in the early career of Shaun Pollock & Lance Klusener. 

He also took on, possibly, the hardest job in cricket at that time, coaching a West Indian side struggling to live up to the glory days he had helped achieve. He applied himself to his coaching as he had to his bowling and again his net bowling proved too much for most of his nation’s new generation. 

Before he could reverse their fortunes he was suddenly taken ill with stomach pains during the 1999 World Cup and diagnosed with colon cancer. He returned to Barbados following treatment and married his long term girlfriend Connie shortly before he passed away on 4th November 1999. 

The Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy was inaugurated in his memory, to be awarded to the leading wicket-taker in each England v West Indies Test series. Another trophy with the same name was set up to be the prize in an annual game between Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago.

Off the pitch he is remembered most for his cheerful spirit and was exceptionally popular among his fellow players, team-mates and opponents. He made strong friendship with opponents who had sleepless nights prior to facing him soon discovered that the man with a fearsome reputation on the pitch was the most genial and gentle person off it. His funeral stopped the Caribbean in its tracks and was attended by thousands including friends and cricketers from the world over. This thoughtful eulogy from his funeral gives a wonderful insight into his character.

Marshall troubled all the best batsmen of his time and his performances were consistent all over the cricketing world against every country. His most dismissed batsmen were Gooch, Lamb, Border, Vengsarker, Boon, Kapil Dev, Botham and Gavaskar.