The words “caught Marsh, bowled Lillee” encompassed a world of cricketing pain for batsmen during the 1970s and 80s, as the ferociously fast Australian bowler Dennis Lillee combined with the stockily acrobatic wicketkeeper Rod Marsh to claim more Test match victims – 95 in total – than any other pairing in history.
Marsh, who has died aged 74, was the perfect tough sidekick for Lillee, with whom he shared a scowling, moustachioed Aussie pugnaciousness and a ferocious will to win. While Lillee stood menacingly with the ball at the end of his run, incoming batsmen could expect to be met with a pithy comment or two from Marsh about the future likelihood of their need for emergency dental work or a prolonged spell sampling hospital food.
