In Rawalpindi, Pakistan and Australia are playing their first test match. The toss has been won by the hosts, who have elected to bat first. After a 24-year hiatus, the current Australian squad is returning to Pakistan. Both sides met in the ICC T20 World Cup semi-finals last year, with Pakistan defeating the Men in Green to go to the final and win the tournament.
Meanwhile, the Australian players are wearing black armbands in honour of former wicketkeeper Rod Marsh, who died recently. He died after a heart attack last week in Queensland. Marsh scored 3633 runs in his career, including three hundreds for Australia, between 1970 and 1984. When he announced his retirement, he had 355 dismissals in Test cricket, a record. Marsh also played in 92 One-Day Internationals, scoring 1225 runs at 20.08 and dismissing 124 batsmen.
On his deathbed, Rod Marsh was 74 years old.
Pat Cummins, Australia’s Test captain, expressed his condolences on the passing of the former keeper. He spoke on Marsh’s status as one of Australia’s most illustrious characters in cricket, as well as his influence on numerous current squad members.
“Rod was a colossal figure in Australian cricket,” said current Australia Test captain Pat Cummins, “who gave close to 50 years of incredible service to Australian cricket, from his debut in the Ashes series of 1970/71 through to his time as National Selector, when many of the current group of Australian men’s players came into close contact with him.”
“I, like many other Australians, grew up hearing tales about him as a courageous and gritty player, but his swashbuckling hitting and brilliance behind the wickets over a decade elevated him to one of our sport’s all-time greats, not only in Australia, but internationally.” Rod’s wife Ros and their family are in my thoughts, as are the thoughts of the whole tour group here in Pakistan, at this difficult time,” he said.