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Malcolm Denzil Marshall (April 18, 1958 - November 4, 1999) was a West Indian cricketer. Primarily a fast bowler, Marshall is regarded as one of the finest pacemen ever to have played Test cricket, and indeed some have suggested he was the finest of all[1]. Certainly, his Test bowling average of 20.94 is the best of anyone who has taken 200 or more wickets.
Remarkably, he achieved his bowling success despite being, by the standards of other fast bowlers, a short man - he stood at 5'11", while most of the great quicks have been well above 6'0" and many great West Indian fast bowlers, such as Joel Garner, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Colin Croft, were 6'6" or above.
Marshall was also a very dangerous lower-order batsman, usually batting at around number eight. Blessed with a good eye, and naturally aggressive against any form of bowling, Marshall had ten Test fifties and a number of first-class centuries to his credit. He was only fractionally short of genuine all-rounder status and probably never did full justice to his considerable natural batting talent.
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. His first representative match was a 40-over affair for West Indies Young Cricketers against their English equivalents at Pointe-à-Pierre, Trinidad and Tobago in August 1976. He made nought and his eight overs disappeared for 53 runs: a most inaccurate guide to what would follow a few years later.
Marshall's first senior appearance was a Geddes Grant/Harrison Line Trophy (List A) match for Barbados on 13 February 1978; again he made a duck and did not take a wicket. Four days later, he made his first-class debut against Jamaica, and this time the fact that he yet again failed to score was almost irrelevant as 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, many first-choice West Indian stars being unavailable having committed themselves to playing World Series Cricket.
Despite doing little of note in the three Tests he played on that tour, he did take 37 wickets in all first-class games, and Hampshire saw enough in him to take him on as their overseas player for 1979. He was in West Indies' World Cup squad, but did not play a match in the tournament. Hampshire were not doing well at the time, but nevertheless he took 47 first-class wickets, as well as picking up 5-13 against Glamorgan in the John Player League.
Marshall really came to prominence in 1980, when in the third Test 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 a season of stunning brilliance in 1982 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 rubber 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. A few months later he took five in an innings twice at home against Australia.
By 1984 Marshall was indisputably one of the finest bowlers in the world, 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 (incredibly, Marshall batted one-handed that day). 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 outstanding series at home against New Zealand, although there were those who believed that the barrage of bouncers he sent down was intimidatory beyond what was acceptable, and that Marshall should have been admonished by the umpires. Nevertheless his repertoire consisted of much more than just the bouncer; Marshall mastered virtually every delivery in cricket, swinging the ball in both directions. He also used an in-swinging yorker as well as developing an effective leg-cutter, and with the exception (perhaps surprisingly) of the 1986/87 New Zealanders, against whom he could only manage nine wickets at 32.11, no side seemed to have an answer to him.
1988 saw his career-best Test performance of 7-22 at Old Trafford, but as it came against one of the poorest England sides in living memory perhaps neither this nor his extraordinary series total of 35 wickets at 12.65 could be considered his best in anything more than strict statistical terms. He 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's final appearances for West Indies came in One-Day International cricket - the 1992 World Cup - but there was to be no last hurrah: in his five matches in the tournament he took just two wickets, both in the penultimate game against South Africa at Christchurch. This was the only time Marshall played for West Indies against South Africa in his career, though played provincial cricket for Natal in both 1992/93 and 1993/94. Whilst playing at Natal his experience was invaluable and his guidance was an influential spark in the early career of Shaun Pollock. Today Shaun Pollock attributes much of his success to his mentor, Marshall. In 1992 he was delighted when Hampshire won the Benson and Hedges Cup, Marshall making 29 not out and taking three wickets in the game.
He played for Hampshire again in 1993, taking 28 wickets at a shade over 30 runs apiece, but that was to be the end of his time in county cricket, and in 1994 his only game in England was against the South Africans for the Scarborough President's XI during the Festival. He played five matches for Scotland in the 1995 Benson and Hedges Cup without much success, and his last senior games were for Natal in 1995/96. In his very last senior appearance, against Western Province in a limited-overs game at Cape Town, the first of his two victims was his former international team-mate Desmond Haynes.
In 1996 Marshall became coach both of Hampshire and West Indies, although the latter's steadily declining standard during this period led to a considerable amount of criticism coming his way. All this was forgotten in 1999, however, as during the World Cup the shocking news broke that he had colon cancer. He immediately left his coaching job to begin treatment, but this was ultimately unsuccessful and he returned to his home town, where he died on 4 November aged just 41.
The cricketing world was shocked by Marshall's death, and a Malcolm Marshall Memorial Trophy was inaugurated, 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.
Michael Anthony Holding (born February 16, 1954 in Kingston, Jamaica) was a West Indian cricketer. One of the quickest bowlers ever to play Test cricket, he was nicknamed 'Whispering Death' by umpires due to his quiet approach to the bowling crease. Holding was an outstanding athlete as a teenager and used skills acquired from running the 400 metres on the cricket pitch, with one of the longest and most rhythmic run-ups in world cricket. His bowling was smooth and very quick, and he used his height (6' 3 ½") to generate large amounts of bounce and zip off the pitch. He was part of the fearsome West Indian pace battery, along with the likes of Joel Garner, Andy Roberts, Sylvester Clarke, Colin Croft and the late Malcolm Marshall that devastated many great batting line-ups in the world throughout the seventies and early eighties.
He was a natural athlete, who in his early days was a middle-distance sprinter. He is now a broadcaster and is a member of the Sky Sports cricket commentary team. During his First class cricket career, Holding played for Jamaica, Canterbury, Derbyshire, Lancashire and Tasmania.
Holding was the bowler in what is often described as "the greatest over in Test history", which he bowled in 1981 in Bridgetown to English batsman Geoff Boycott. The first five balls increased in pace, causing Boycott to have to react very rapidly to avoid being hit. The final ball saw Boycott clean bowled, to the great delight of the crowd.[1]
According to an urban myth, during a Test match between the West Indies and England when Holding was to bowl to English player Peter Willey, the commentator at the time, Brian Johnston, described the action as "The bowler's Holding, the batsman's Willey". However Wisden states that there is no record of Johnston or anyone else actually saying this.[2].
In a limited-overs international between England and West Indies on 26 August 1976 at Scarborough, Michael Holding's return from long-leg deflected off the nearer wicket and scuttled along the pitch to break the far one with Graham Barlow and Alan Knott, on his only appearance as England's captain, stranded in mid-pitch. The dumbfounded umpires, Bill Alley and Arthur Fagg, rejected the run out appeal for reasons which remain obscure.
A less amusing incident for which Holding is also remembered was kicking over the stumps in anger at an umpiring decision in New Zealand in 1979/80. The tour had gone sour almost from the beginning: West Indies had just finished a long tour of Australia, and were perhaps resentful about having a tour to unglamourous New Zealand immediately afterwards (their leading batsman of the time, Viv Richards, refused to tour). West Indies felt that the umpiring had been incompetent and against them throughout. It should be noted, though, that others countered that perhaps West Indies were also embittered at failing to adjust to the local conditions, which are sharply different in terms of climate and pitches to those found in Australia or the West Indies, hence lowly fancied New Zealand seam bowlers (and the great Richard Hadlee who was just making his mark as a truly world class bowler) embarrassed the formidable West Indian batting line-up. After one decision by the West Indian bête noir, umpire Fred Goodall, Holding turned and sent the stumps flying with a kick that would not disgrace a rugby fullback attempting a penalty kick. It was captured on film, and remains an enduring image of a less than savoury event for world cricket.
Despite modest batting talent he did it with exuberance. He holds the record for the most sixes in a Test career for any player with fewer than 1000 career runs. He hit 36 sixes in his Test career, placing him at 32 in the all-time list. Remarkably almost a quarter of his Test runs came by way of sixes.
Currently, Holding is one of the more respected cricket commentators in the world. His distinctive, smooth Caribbean burr and his droll observations have proved popular wherever he is heard. Speculation is rife that he suffers from some degree of ophthalmopathy as he is always seen, indoors and out, with his dark-shaded glasses on, with a secure strap around his neck.
Lawrence, also known as "Yagga", was an elegant right handed batsman described by Michael Holding, his team mate, as "the best batsman I ever saw". It was felt that his ability was so extraordinary that Sobers believed he could have been the greatest of all West Indian batsmen. At one game Rowe hit a ball so cleanly that it followed a level trajectory like a guided missile over the boundary for six.
He made his debut for Jamaica in 1968-69. He then made history on his Test match debut v New Zealand at Kingston 1972 scoring 214 and 100 not out, the first time that a cricketer had scored a double and single century on Test debut. It also gave him a batting average of 314 after his first test match.
Rowe was a heavy scorer at his home ground. In 1974 v England he scored 302 in 10 hours.
On his arrival in Australia for the 1975-76 tour Rowe was being hailed as the best batsman in the world. A century in his second test innings in Australia maintained his average at over 70 runs per innings and it seemed to confirm his reputation. The team were humiliated by the Australian side over the rest of the series and Rowe never regained his previously devastating form.
Rowe was a West Indies batting "hero" in the days before Viv Richards. He played 30 Test matches scoring a total of 2,047 runs at an average of 43. He was known to whistle whilst he batted though he seemed to be injury prone; he suffered problems with his eyesight and was allergic to grass.
He played 30 Tests between 1972 and 1980 and played 11 One-day Internationals. Rowe played for Derbyshire in the English County Championship and also joined World Series Cricket. He is one of only four West Indian batsman to have scored a triple century, the others being Garfield Sobers, Chris Gayle and Brian Lara.
Rowe became infamous 1982-83, because he led a rebel tour to South Africa during the days of apartheid when they were isolated from world sport. The West Indian public were outraged by the tour and Rowe himself was ostracised in Jamaica. This may have been a primary reason for Rowe subsequently settling down in Miami, USA.
Singing we ride over the field
To encounter the armoured opponents
Powell's most lovely bouncer shuttles over Kevin's head
The next delivery oh my, Pietersen is dead
Powell is feared he is dread for sooner than later
Prior is bombarded with deliveries that only gave him
Time to settle for one then make his way back to the pavilion
To amuse his Royal Majesty Powell gave England
A whooping that causes the English men to ponder their fate
In asking are we just West Indian one-day beating plate?
From the mortally wounded English men
Lines from their journals herein they pen
Drop Pietersen the star for we are finally at war
Call up the younger men for we will not allow
The West Indian to beat us like this again
Far from their shores we ride with dignity and pride
Fate is never too late West Indies Captain Gayle
Has conquer the English yet the villain WICB lingers near
Are they now persuaded that Gayle is the reality that abates
Their anxiety? We will never know until they are home never
more to roam!
With the Crown on each team members head, woe to Ireland
Scotland and the Netherlands you are dead West Indies is flowing with
Caribean Adrenalin your fate will be great for they will give
You ever thing they brought on their plate! Your fall will be great
Some say we are too late but we know our destiny is in our winning ability
At any rate I confess this team is heading to be great.
July, 2007
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