Geoff Marsh

During his prime, Geoff Marsh was an epitome of determination and mental strength. Once set at the
crease, it was practically impossible to dislodge him unless he himself chose to. Marsh's batting may not have been elegant to watch but was mighty effective. He adopted the age-old method of batting - to grind out the opposition bowlers and score after they were worn out completely. Marsh knew when to respect the bowlers' spells and was extremely judicious in his shot selection. This element in his game gave him great success, not only in Tests but also in ODIs where he played a key role in Australia's World Cup title in 1987, notably in the all-important final.

Marsh made his debut in 1985 at a time when Australian cricket was seeking a transition. In David Boon
and Mark Taylor, Geoff Marsh found an able company of peers who would go on to represent the
country for a long time to come. The trio played a massive role in the team's resurgence. Marsh initially
started out as a no.3 batsman but it was evident that opening was his spot. That soon came to him and
he never really looked back after that. After a good amount of years at the top, Marsh's form started
dipping in the 1991-92 season. Subsequently, he got dropped from the side and although he longed for a comeback, that never happened. He duly retired from the game in 1994.

Post retirement, Marsh became the Australian coach in 1996 and was pivotal to the team's rise as an
ODI team with the 1999 World Cup win being the icing on the cake. A man with great tactical acumen,
Marsh was a fine visionary and had good man-management skills as well. The result was a dominating
Australian team across both formats. The Test game had already been on the rise even before Marsh's
appointment but there was a lukewarm phase in ODIs. He turned the latter around to ensure that the
team would dominate for a generation. After a successful coaching stint, he also became Australian
selector for a while before reverting back to the former job, albeit for a different country. First it was a
short-lived phase for Zimbabwe and then for Sri Lanka. If the former stint ended due to political turmoil,
he was unceremoniously booted out by the Islanders despite having success.

There was a lot of dedication in whatever Marsh did. A strict disciplinarian with rigid work ethics, he
hated to fail and ensured that his determination always led him to success. Born in a farm in Western
Australia, Geoff's humble background taught him a lot of things at a very young age. Humility was
equally a key reason in his success as a cricketer and he'll hope that his sons Shaun and Mitchell carry
forward his legacy. Both have had a decent time in international cricket without really peaking as yet. The 2017-18 Ashes series saw them both fire in unison and their dad will hope that it's a sign of things to come. Marsh was nicknamed 'Swampy' during his playing days.