Image via WikipediaBorn in Bridgetown, Barbados on April 18th, 1958, Malcolm Marshall took only 20 years to make his First-class debut in the 1977/1978 season. His Test debut came in the following season- owing to defections of the leading West Indies players to Kerry Packer's World Series Cricket. Marshall had a slow start in Test cricket- a surprising fact when one considers his statistics.
The chance to cement a place in the West Indies side came again in 1980. From there, Marshall never looked back. He announced his arrival as a world-beater against England- the team that feared him the most. Marshall played 81 Test matches and amassed 376 wickets, which was then a record for the most wickets by a West Indian bowler. His Test bowling average of 20.94 is the kind of figure that one may never see in modern cricket.
Marshall was the only West Indian paceman of his era to take over 300 wickets. He had the most wickets, best strike rate and lowest bowling average of them all. However, one interesting fact is that he had the highest batting average of them all as well. From 107 innings, Marshall accumulated 1,810 runs at an average of 18.85. He scored 10 Test fifties and seven First-class centuries. He was the closest player that the West Indies had to a genuine all-rounder since Garry Sobers and before Dwayne Bravo.
Malcolm Marshall played a lot of First class cricket for Hampshire of England and Natal of South Africa. In all, he played 408 First class matches and scalped an astounding 1,651 wickets at an average of 19.10. South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini credits Marshall for helping him to develop into an excellent fast bowler.
When he stopped playing, Marshall took on coaching jobs- starting in South Africa. He coached the West Indies senior team before his death at age 41 from cancer. Though he was a devastating bowler in his day, Marshall was a charming fellow. It was no surprise that his death, in 1999, was mourned across the cricket world.
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