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Most awkward customer, says Vengsarkar

Malcolm Marshall, who died in Bridgetown yesterday at the age of 41 due to colon cancer, was hailed as one of the finest fast bowlers by former cricketers.

Dilip Vengsarkar, who had many battles with Marshall, said he was definitely the best fast bowler he had played against. Vengsarkar had sent Marshall in tears back to pavilion when he played in Bangalore in 1978, at the age of 20. The Barbadian, popularly known as 'Pocket Dynamo', believed that he was not out. From then on, his tail would go up whenever Vengsarkar came to wicket. There were some rounds he won and some, like in the 1983 series, which Vengsarkar won, by scoring two hundreds.

Vengsarkar was also injured by Marshall in a charity match in London. But the Bombay batsman was generous in praise of the great bowler.

"He was the most awkward customer when he went round the wicket," he said, adding "his death was a great loss to cricket."

Former captain Ajit Wadekar said he was greatly impressed by the pace a small sized man like Marshall could generate. "I think he was best when he would go round the wicket and that too without running on the wicket," he said.

Indian cricket coach Kapil Dev said Marshall was a great player. "I played against him for a long time. It is a great loss to cricket to lose such a player well before his time."

Raj Singh Dungarpur, former Board of Control for Cricket in India president, said: "Marshall was the most dreaded bowler. The extraordinary feature about him was that despite tremendous speed he rarely wavered from line and length. That was the hallmark of greatness."

UNI