RIP Legendary Wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, Shane Warne

Legendary wicketkeeper ROD MARSH's partnership with Australian teammate and fellow West Australian Dennis Lillee is part of cricket legend, the dismissal 'caught Marsh, bowled Lillee' featuring on scoreboards across the cricketing world 95 times in Test matches.

Born in the Perth suburb of Armadale, Marsh honed his cricket skills alongside older brother Graham. Both represented WA as juniors before Graham forged a successful career as a professional golfer.

Marsh made his debut for WA in the 1968-69 season and went on to play 257 first-class matches, scoring 11,067 runs at 31.17 and completing 869 dismissals before his retirement in 1984.

For Australia, Marsh played 96 Test matches scoring 3633 runs at 26.51 and completing 355 dismissals, and 92 one-day internationals making 1225 runs at 20.08 with 124 dismissals - a career disrupted for two years by his involvement in World Series Cricket.

Marsh was something of a pioneer, selected to make his debut in the 1970-71 Ashes series largely for his batting at a time when wicketkeeper was usually a specialist position.

Marsh's selection would be justified in the first Test against Pakistan in Adelaide in 1972-73 when he became the first Australian wicketkeeper to score a Test century – the first of three.

The Australian great scored three Test centuries and famously claiming a then world record of 355 dismissals for a wicketkeeper behind the stumps.

As his career progressed, Marsh would become renowned for his athletic takes and sure hands – belying an early nickname of "Iron Gloves" - particularly when keeping to the ferocious pace of fellow Seventies icons Lillee and Jeff Thomson.

During his career, Marsh held both the Australian and Test wicketkeeping records for dismissals.

After his playing career Marsh had a substantial impact on the development of elite cricketers in Australia and across the globe in roles including inaugural coach and later director of the Australian Cricket Academy and as director of England and Wales Cricket Board National Academy.

Following a glittering 14-year international career as a player, Marsh played a major role in grooming young stars such as former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and pace bowler Brett Lee at the Australian Cricket Academy (ACA) in Adelaide.

Marsh was later chosen by England to lead their own academy in the lead-up to the 2005 Ashes series.

Marsh also served as a selector for England, before returning to Australia later in his career to replace John Inverarity as chairman of selectors from 2014 until he departed in 2016.

Marsh was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009 and ICC Chief Executive Geoff Allardice paid tribute to the legendary Australian. Agencies

SHANE WARNE brought a new glamour and attacking intent to legspin, with his bottle-blond hair allied to a keen tactical brain that he used to outfox a host of unwitting opponents in his pomp.

* Arguably the most famous and influential cricketer since Don Bradman, Warne is widely credited with revitalising the art of leg spin bowling after an era dominated by fast bowlers.

* Was named one of Wisden's five best players of the 20th century.

* First player to take 700 wickets, although his record was ultimately surpassed by Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets).

* Chosen for the 1993 Ashes tour of England a year after an unpromising test debut, Warne bowled England captain Mike Gatting with his first delivery, later dubbed "the ball of the century."

* Became the first player in over 90 years to take a hat-trick in the Ashes when he achieved the feat against England at Melbourne in 1994.

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