Legendary Australia wicket-keeper Rod Marsh has died aged 74 after suffering a heart attack. Marsh was taken ill last Thursday while travelling to a charity cricket match in Queensland, reports BBC.
He effected 355 dismissals - a world record at the time of his retirement - in 96 Test appearances for Australia from 1970 to 1984. He also played 92 one-day internationals and served as Australia men's chairman of selectors until 2016.
Marsh is third on Australia's all-time dismissals list behind Adam Gilchrist with 416 and Ian Healy's 395. Australia Test great Mark Waugh described Marsh as "an absolute icon" of the sport.
Waugh continued: "Had the pleasure of working with Rod for a number of years as a selector and you wouldn't meet a more honest, down-to-earth, kind-hearted person."
Former Australia one-day international David Hussey paid tribute, saying "Rod will be missed". Hussey wrote on Twitter: "His saying, "cricket is a simple game made complicated" still resonates with me."
Ex-England bowler Chris Tremlett described Marsh as "a great man who helped guide me and many others on the right path in my younger years and taught me what it takes to play international cricket".
First wicket-keeper to score a Test century Marsh would go on to form a formidable partnership with fast bowler Dennis Lillee, with the pair combining for a record 95 Test dismissals. However, he had a difficult start to his Test career and was nicknamed "Iron Gloves" during his first series against England in 1970-71.
He came close to a maiden century during that Ashes series, making an unbeaten 92 in Melbourne before captain Bill Lawry declared Australia nine down. Marsh did not feel as though he had missed out on a century, saying that he thought Lawry should have declared much earlier.
He later became the first Australian wicket-keeper to score a Test century when he reached triple figures against England in the 1977 Centenary Test. On the 1981 tour of England, Marsh became the first keeper to claim 100 dismissals in Ashes Tests.
After retiring, Marsh commentated on Australian television before taking on a coaching role at the Australian National Academy. He later took on a similar role with the England and Wales Cricket Board and was a selector for the men's team from 2001 to 2005. Marsh served as the Australian chairman of selectors from 2014 to 2016, stepping down after Australia was hammered at home by South Africa.
