Firstly, the wine…
Since the beginning of 2022, we have had to contend to deal with the continued impacts of COVID-19 and it varients, the very real potential of war breaking out as a result of Russia invading Ukraine and flooding in parts of South East Queensland and Northern New South Wales. I am half expecting the alien invasion of Earth to be any time soon.
Hence, for the first time since I started this very part time blog I would recommend that you have a couple of your favourite beverage; be that beer, red wine, white wine, spirits. Sit back and enjoy…but remember, just enjoy it responsibly.
I actually had it worked out.
Yesterday, in between work calls, trying in vain to get through my to-do list and having the Test from Pakistan on in the background, I actually knew what I was going to write about. In fact, I even had help as a tweet from the well-respected sports broadcaster Gerard Whateley said it all. I was going to use that to start to write about my memories and thoughts about the passing of the great Rod Marsh.
Then this morning (Saturday), I woke up and as I usually do checked my phone; in the half asleep daze that I usually check my phone in the mornings.
Disbelief.
Shock.
A race to check multiple sources to validate that what I was seeing is true.
Even now, a good five or so hours since I did that I am in a state of bewilderment. So much so, I am hesitant that I can’t even type it.
So, in what I think is a mix of respect and trying to place some structure on my thoughts, let me start with my original plan.
Yesterday, Gerard Whateley tweeted out that “The passing of childhood heroes is a rough business” which was very similar to one of the thoughts going through my head on the news about Rod Marsh.
My conscious support of cricket started at the end of the great Cricket War. My first game of cricket that I went to was a World Series Cricket SuperTest and the summer after that was the first one where the Australian Cricket Board made peace with Kerry Packer.
For Australian Cricket, it was a time of the Chappell Brothers, Dennis Lillee & Rod Marsh; with Gideon Haigh accurately describing Bacchus as the ‘glue’ that held the Australian team together.
For me, Rod Marsh was and always will be the benchmark of what makes a Keeper in Test Cricket. He was an integral part of the ‘Chappell Era’ of Australian Cricket. A team that had some of our country’s greatest cricketers. A team that played hard and celebrated just as hard after a win.
In many ways, Rod Marsh was the epitome of that era of Australian cricketer and perhaps the most popular. As has been well documented, his final record as a player saw him as not only the most successful keeper the time in Australian Cricket but also World Cricket. That and his contribution to the game extended to his roles in both the Australian & English cricket academies and as a selector for Australia.
He was the one that was the heartbeat of that team; a role that is now expected from an Australian keeper. For me, he also was the definition of what an Australian cricketer should be. Whether it was the white or the canary yellow shirt that was unbuttoned well down the chest, the bushy moustache and the stocky build, the Australian cap (baggy green or yellow) seemed to just fit right on him. He played in a way that characterised that team; they played to win, gave no quarter on the field but respected the opposition. What happened on the field stayed on the field.
And make no mistake, one thing you knew about Rod Marsh was that he knew and demonstrated true sportsmanship. This was demonstrated in two classic examples; the calling back of Derek Randall during the 1977 Centenary Test (after which Randall scored 174 and the Man of the Match Award) and the clearly visible cries of “No Mate!” to Greg Chappell before the underarm ball was bowled against New Zealand at the MCG in 1981.
As Gerard Whateley alluded to, when someone who is a key component of your childhood, the informative years of watching and following the game goes, it is both extremely sad but also brings some of the more cherished memories of your youth.
Then, this morning.
I am writing this with the Women’s World Cup on as Australia plays England and they just repeated the news that greeted me on my phone this morning.
S.K. Warne dead at age 52.
I actually think they repeated it; not only for those who may have not heard but for someone like me who has heard it numerous times but still finds it hard to believe that it is real.
For me, I reconciled myself a while ago in my opinion about Shane Warne and that there were two sides. He was someone who had his flaws (like we all do) and did some well, plain stupid things (like we all do). I also found his commentary in recent years frustrating as he would combine fascinating insights about the game with some inexplicable opinions and comments (even as recently as this last Ashes series) that would drive me to distraction and bring out the ‘grumpy old man’ side of me more than I would have liked
However, one thing that is without debate is that he was the greatest spinner Australia has ever produced, one of the greatest players the game has ever seen and changed the game forever. This morning, I heard many tributes and many have mentioned him on the same level as Bradman – which is something that I believe is both warranted and deserved.
S.K. Warne was part of my cricket watching since my early twenties and there are many memories that I have watching him; bookended by being at the Sydney Cricket Ground for both his first Test and his last (which I consider myself very lucky). Many have said that the ‘Ball of the Century’ was when he announced himself as being on his way to greatness. For me, two other instances come to mind.
The first Ashes Test of the 1994/95 summer in Brisbane and Australia was facing the challenge of needing to bowl England out on the last day to win the Test. It was the kind of match situation that Warne was now expected to perform.
I remember distinctly sitting in the cafeteria of the Hewlett-Packard office in North Ryde and watching Warne bowl to Alec Stewart on that last day. He bowled two balls in a row, wide and short outside off stump and Stewart dutifully hit both to the boundary. Those I was watching with started to complain about Warne delivering such easy pickings at such a critical time. However, there was something that made me think that this was all a set-up. Sure enough, the next ball was a flipper that Stewart also dutifully missed and was out. It showed that not only could he spin the ball but he also was thinking the batsman out and could be depend upon to lead Australia to victory.
The other moment was again part of an Ashes Test and that was Adelaide in 2006. That final day when the only result on the cards was a draw; except in the mind of Shane Warne. He started that last day and it seemed he had told Ricky Ponting that he would take one end and stay there until England were all out. Which is what he did and quite literally willed Australia to win and set about righting the wrong of 2005. His ball to get out Kevin Petersen to this day is one of the best things I have ever seen on the cricket field.
There is another common thread for me between Rod Marsh & Shane Warne. Apart from being icons of Australian Cricket and respected throughout the world game; both played a seminal part of my life of watching, following and loving the game of Cricket. For that, I will be eternally grateful. Sadly, while I never had the pleasure of meeting either of them in person, having heard from those cricket fans like myself who have, they were nothing but generous and respectful.
That and they leave behind family & friends who in both cases have had their worlds’ stopped as they digest what has happened.
Vale R.W. Marsh (No. 249) & S.K. Warne (No. 350)
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