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Beyond the Rope Watching … Malcolm Marshall

Malcolm Denzil Marshall – three words guaranteed to strike unparalleled fear into even the greatest of batsmen through the 1980s. Known throughout the cricket world as ‘Macko’, I am yet to see as complete a fast bowler as this wonderful West Indian. Of the 24 bowlers who have achieved the feat of 300 Test Match wickets, nobody can match Marshall’s average of 20.94, and only Waqar Younis has a strike rate better than the wicket per 46.7 balls achieved by Macko.

He did not match the stereotype of a fast bowler at a height of 5’9″, but he generated pace from a phenomenally fast and whippy arm action, whilst his ability to move the ball at pace made him a formidable opponent, described by the great Pakistani all-rounder, Wasim Akram, as simply the ‘greatest fast bowler of all time’.

To fully appreciate the brilliance of Marshall, you had to be fortunate enough to watch and observe him from 2 angles. From side-on, you appreciated the grace of his fast, angled approach to the wicket, lithely and gracefully eating up the yards between the start of his run-up and the Umpire. You would then see the ball catapulted some 22 yards at a speed that was quite honestly a touch disconcerting even from 100 yards away!

From head-on, you were able to see the perfect wrist position and release which allowed for a perfect seam position and late movement, both in the air and off the surface. At that pace, it was no wonder that batsmen were in fear of their wickets. Throw in a bouncer that was potentially the most lethal that cricket has known, delivered from a low angle and hence skidding at the batsman, it was also little wonder that many batsmen were in fear of their lives too!

Whilst generally a man of a growl but few words on the cricket pitch, his sense of humour could find itself into the middle at times. In one of my favourite stories, it is recalled that ‘Sir’ Geoffrey Boycott pointed out to Macko that he may have been driving down the M3 at a speed slightly in excess of 70mph when he had seen him the previous evening. Around an hour later, the first ball of the day, a Marshall bouncer, whistled into the hands of wicket-keeper Bobby Parks, before Boycott had flinched. Macko couldn’t help the retort, “There’s no speed limit out here Boycs!”

I was fortunate to see Macko play on numerous occasions during his great career, both for the West Indies and Hampshire. I was also fortunate enough on a couple of occasions to view him from ‘inside the rope’. I spent a lot of time around the 1991 West Indian tourists as a net bowler, and helping out in the dressing room. A few years later, with me a young student at the University of Southampton, I passed several hours in the nets under his expert tutelage.

Both of these experiences were very special to me as I idolised Macko both as man and cricketer, and because he had always been known as having one of the best cricketing brains around. This was in evidence as he got older and lost some of his pace, but little of his potency. It would also explain why he was so successful on the Asian Sub-Continent, despite the pitches being less than ideal for quick bowlers.

Surprisingly, maybe, it is to later in his career that I turn for my outstanding memory of watching Malcolm, and the 1992 Benson and Hedges Cup Final between Hampshire and Kent. I had just finished my A-Levels, so was looking forward to a lovely Saturday at Lord’s. I was in a bit of a quandary as to who I should be supporting that day … no doubt a certain Sarah Ansell, reading this, would suggest that Kent should always be supported!!

As it was, I had been given my ticket by a close friend in Carl Hooper, the West Indian batsman playing for Kent, but he was of course up against Malcolm, the man who many said that I idolised more than my dad! I decided that maybe I would just enjoy the day instead, ever the diplomat.

I met up with a good friend from London, with whom I played youth representative cricket, and our first stop was the lovely expanse of licensed bar enclosed in the tunnel like area under the Grandstand at Lords. Our friend Fosters would keep us good company for much of that day as the July climate was pretty much as you might expect … a little chilly and intermittently precipitous!

There is nothing to beat the atmosphere of a Lord’s Final – whilst you often find yourself in a tight corporate envelope watching Test Matches, such finals are the domain of genuine cricket aficionados and supporters passionate about their club, and there are few supporters as vocal as those of these 2 South Coast clubs. The Saturday only saw one innings completed … not sure to be honest how much we saw of that!!

We certainly followed it well on the TV Screens in the Lord’s Tavern! We also came across a friend of my dad, who was the owner of Centurion Sports, a bat manufacturer, and who was delighted to invite two 18 year-olds into his box for the afternoon where the beer was approximately 100% cheaper than elsewhere!!

A quick phone call at 6pm allowed me to stay in London overnight and return to Lord’s for the conclusion of events the following day. Kent would bat on the Sunday, chasing 254 for victory off their allotted 55 Overs. Hampshire were indebted to a classy 90 from their England batsman, Robin Smith, whilst Macko chipped in with a quick-fire 29 not out, Hoops taking 1-41 off his 11 Overs.

I quickly saw both of them on the Saturday evening, although the Hampshire rosette that I acquired from – actually, I have know idea where it came from! … – gave an indication that I was a touch less neutral than I had started! My ideal scenario for Sunday was that Hoops got a hundred but Hampshire still scraped home!!

The eventuality was somewhat different as Kent never really challenged Hampshire’s total of 253, falling some 40 runs short. Marshall’s opening spell from the Nursery End was masterful. He was no longer the devastating speed merchant of old, but a canny new ball operator who made the ball talk at his beck and call. He used the damp conditions and the Lord’s slope to his advantage as he cut and seamed the ball at will, accounting for the dangerous Trevor Ward in his opening spell, before returning to take the key wicket of Graham Cowdrey.

He would finish with figures of 10-1-33-3, a fine performance in any Limited Over contest, much less a Lord’s Final. He had a great contest with Carl Hooper, who for once seemed a little hurried in his stroke making. It was in many respects the pressure that Marshall applied from the other end that forced Hooper into a mistake against Hampshire stalwart, Shaun Udal, seeing him bowled for 29.

It is always unsatisfactory to see a Lord’s Final finish on the reserve day. Somehow, the atmosphere of the day itself has dissipated and Father Time often looks down on the famous arena which is only a little more than half full. Having said that, the Hampshire supporters on the ground would have cared little if the match had finished on the Monday! They had just added the Benson & Hedges Cup to the NatWest Trophy that they had thrillingly won in the gathering gloom of a 1991 September evening against Surrey.

For Macko, however, this was his first Lord’s Winners Medal with Hampshire, and I can empathise with his happiness that day. If anyone wants to know why the West Indies of the 1970s and 1980s were so very special, it was because they hated losing, and took it personally. Malcolm had once not collected a Man of the Match cheque and medal from a Semi-Final because he was so distraught at having lost the match. I also recall my dad being inconsolable when Warwickshire lost the 1984 B&H Cup Final to Lancashire, little did it matter that he had scored 70 of the 139 runs that Warwickshire mustered that day.

More recently, I had remembered the smile on Kalli’s face when Warwickshire won the 1989 NatWest Final against Middlesex, despite the fact that he had failed to trouble the scorers on that occasion. He had lost 3 Lord’s Finals with Warwickshire and was desperate to win one before retirement, and that was exactly where Macko was on that special day for him.

There were so many occasions that I could have chosen when I had the unadulterated enjoyment of watching Malcolm Marshall in action. I was present at Old Trafford when he took his Test best figures of 7-22 against England, and also at Edgbaston at 1984 when he was equally devastating. However, I know that this win meant as much to him as any of his other successes, and I also believe that this illustrated his greatness and mastery of the art of pace bowling – where breakneck speed had faded, artistry prevailed.

I did not see a great deal of Dennis Lillee, but trust the judgment of those who speak of him and Andy Roberts as two of the greatest and most complete modern fast-bowlers. However, I can only go with what I have seen and what I believe, and that is that Malcolm Denzil Marshall is the greatest fast bowler of all time. The statistics do not lie, and neither does the testament of those who played against him.

It was a tragic loss when he lost his battle against Colon Cancer on November 4 1999, aged just 41. In those 41 years however, he achieved and provided a legacy bigger than many could manage in multiple lifetimes, doing so with a smile (generally!) and in a style that won admirers globally. Personally, I lost a friend, mentor and hero, and my tears were shared across the wider cricketing community where he was loved by so many.

He is remembered by the trophy that bears his name – awarded to the bowler who takes most wickets in any series between the West Indies and England. There are also memorial matches played on an annual basis, including one in Birmingham every August Bank Holiday.

Malcolm Denzil Marshall was taken from us too soon, but will always be remembered not just for being a wonderful cricketer, but a very special person.

Match Scorecard – Career Stats / Profile – ESPN Cricinfo Bowling Statistics