View source for Geoff Marsh

{{short description|Australian cricketer}}
{{other people||Geoffrey Marsh (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
{{Use Australian English|date=September 2012}}
{{Infobox cricketer 
| name               = Geoff Marsh 
| image              = File:Geoff Marsh - At Victoria University Wellington - 1986 (16471678546).jpg
| caption            = Marsh at Victoria University, [[Wellington]] in 1986.
| fullname           = Geoffrey Robert Marsh
| birth_date         = {{birth date and age|1958|12|31|df=y}}
| birth_place        = [[Northam, Western Australia]]
| nickname           = Swampy<ref>{{cite news|title=Nicknames not dopey, even for cricketers|url=http://www.couriermail.com.au/ipad/true-blue-aussies-love-a-nickname/story-fn6ck8la-1225976742634|work=[[The Courier-Mail]]|date=28 December 2010}}</ref>
| family             = [[Shaun Marsh]] (son)<br />[[Mitchell Marsh]] (son)<br />[[Melissa Marsh]] (daughter)
| country            = Australia 
| international      = true
| internationalspan = 1985–1992
| testdebutdate      = 13 December
| testdebutyear      = 1985
| testdebutagainst   = India
| lasttestdate       = 25 January
| lasttestyear       = 1992
| lasttestagainst    = India
| testcap            = 333 
| odidebutdate       = 14 January 
| odidebutyear       = 1986
| odidebutagainst    = New Zealand
| lastodidate        = 11 March
| lastodiyear        = 1992
| lastodiagainst     = Pakistan
| odicap             = 91
| batting            = Right-handed
| bowling            = Right arm [[off-spin]] 
| role               = [[Batting order (cricket)#Opening batters|Opening batter]]
|              club1 = [[Western Australia cricket team|Western Australia]]
|              year1 = {{nowrap|1977/78–1993/94}}
| columns            = 4
| column1            = [[Test cricket|Test]] 
| matches1           = 50 
| runs1              = 2,854 
| bat avg1           = 33.18 
| 100s/50s1          = 4/15 
| top score1         = 138 
| deliveries1        =  
| wickets1           = –
| bowl avg1          = –
| fivefor1           = – 
| tenfor1            = – 
| best bowling1      = –
| catches/stumpings1 = 38/–
| column2            = [[One Day International|ODI]] 
| matches2           = 117 
| runs2              = 4,357 
| bat avg2           = 39.98
| 100s/50s2          = 9/22 
| top score2         = 126[[not out|*]] 
| deliveries2        = 6
| wickets2           = 0 
| bowl avg2          = –
| fivefor2           = –
| tenfor2            = –
| best bowling2      = – 
| catches/stumpings2 = 31/–
| column3            = [[First-class cricket|FC]]
| matches3           = 184
| runs3              = 11,760
| bat avg3           = 39.46
| 100s/50s3          = 33/46
| top score3         = 355[[not out|*]]
| deliveries3        = 30
| wickets3           = 1
| bowl avg3          = 9.00
| fivefor3           = 0
| tenfor3            = 0
| best bowling3      = 1/1
| catches/stumpings3 = 133/–
| column4            = [[List A cricket|LA]]
| matches4           = 169
| runs4              = 6,366
| bat avg4           = 42.15
| 100s/50s4          = 14/36
| top score4         = 126[[not out|*]]
| deliveries4        = 6
| wickets4           = 0
| bowl avg4          = –
| fivefor4           = –
| tenfor4            = –
| best bowling4      = –
| catches/stumpings4 = 54/–
|medaltemplates=<!--MENTION HOST NATIONS FOR TEAM SPORTS-->
{{MedalSport|Men's [[Cricket]]}}
{{MedalCountry|{{AUS}}}} 
{{MedalCompetition|[[ICC Cricket World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[1987 Cricket World Cup|1987 India and Pakistan]]|}}
{{MedalCountry |{{AUS}}}} as Coach
{{MedalCompetition|[[ICC Cricket World Cup]]}}
{{Medal|W|[[1999 Cricket World Cup|1999 England-Wales<br/>-Ireland-Scotland-Netherlands]]|}}
{{Medal|RU|[[1996 Cricket World Cup|1996 India-Pakistan-Sri Lanka]]|}}
| date               = 17 June 
| year               = 2018
| source             = http://www.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/player/6499.html CricInfo
}}

'''Geoffrey Robert Marsh''' (born 31 December 1958) is an Australian former [[cricket]]er, coach and selector.  He played 50 [[Test cricket|Test matches]] and 117 [[One Day International]]s for [[Australia national cricket team|Australia]] as an [[Batting order (cricket)#Opening batsmen or openers|opening batsman]]. Marsh was a part of the Australian team that won their first world title during the [[1987 Cricket World Cup]]. As the coach of Australia he was in charge when Australia won the [[1999 Cricket World Cup]] in England. He later coached [[Zimbabwe national cricket team|Zimbabwe]] (2001–2004) and [[Sri Lanka national cricket team|Sri Lanka]] (2011–12).

==Playing career==
Marsh was a steady, solid right-handed opening [[batsman]] and capable [[Fielding (cricket)|fielder]], making his [[first-class cricket|first-class]] debut for [[Western Warriors|Western Australia]] as a nineteen-year-old in the 1977–1978 [[Sheffield Shield]] season.  In 1978 he played five games of [[Australian rules football]] for [[South Fremantle Football Club|South Fremantle]] in the [[West Australian Football League|West Australian National Football League]] before concentrating only on cricket.

Marsh established himself as a solid competitor on the domestic front and was on the fringes of the national team for a number of years before winning selection in the [[Australia national cricket team|Australian]] [[Test cricket|Test]] team.  He made his debut in December 1985 against [[Indian cricket team|India]] and took part of the tours of [[Australian cricket team in New Zealand in 1985-86|New Zealand]] and [[Australian cricket team in India in 1986-87|India the following year]].  However, his domestic debut was less than impressive, scoring a [[Glossary of cricket terms#golden pair|golden pair]] for Western Australia on debut at [[Sydney Cricket Ground]], which was recorded in hand-written form on a storing cabinet inside the away team's dressing room as a symbolic "domestic honours board"{{citation needed|date=December 2023}}.

He soon made the opening position his own (despite his mediocre batting average of 33.18<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.howstat.com/cricket/Statistics/Batting/BattingBestAverageForPosition.asp|website=HowStat|access-date=17 December 2017|title=HowSTAT! Test Cricket - Highest Batting Average for Each Batting Position}}</ref>), batting alongside the likes of [[Mark Taylor (cricketer)|Mark Taylor]] and [[David Boon]], and became an integral part of the Australian [[One Day International]] team.  He along with [[David Boon]] became the first pair of openers to notch hundreds in a same ODI innings for the team<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/content/records/283059.html|title=BOTH OPENERS SCORING A HUNDRED IN AN INNINGS
|website=cricinfo|access-date=2017-04-11}}</ref>

Marsh played international cricket over a seven-year period, ending in 1992.

He is best remembered for his part in the Australian team that won the [[1987 cricket World Cup|1987 World Cup]] in [[India]], including an unbeaten 126 against [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]] in [[Chandigarh]], while he also captained his country in four matches.  Over his career Marsh was a solid performer in One Day International cricket, with a [[batting average (cricket)|batting average]] of nearly 40 but had a very low strike rate compared to more recent opening batsman.
[[File:Geoff Marsh graph.PNG|thumb|400px|Geoff Marsh's Test career batting performance.]]

==Coaching career==
Marsh retired from playing cricket in 1994 before taking up coaching.  In July 1996 he was chosen as coach of the Australian national Test and One Day International teams, playing a vital part in continuing his country's positions as the top cricketing nation of the time.  He was the coach of the Australian team that won the [[1999 cricket World Cup|1999 World Cup]] in [[England]], guiding the team to seven consecutive victories to help them win the tournament.

He left the Australian coaching job and soon became a selector for the [[Australian Cricket Board]] (now [[Cricket Australia]]), although he left this position in 2001 to become coach of the [[Zimbabwean cricket team|Zimbabwean national teams]].  Marsh continued in this position until 2004 when his contract expired; many considered this decision was made due to the political circumstances of [[Zimbabwe]]'s government under [[Robert Mugabe]], although he has never commented publicly on the matter.{{citation needed|date=July 2016}}

In mid 2009 Geoff was appointed Head Coach of the Fremantle District Cricket Club, a club which Geoff spend most of his senior playing career with.

He was appointed as the head coach for the team [[Pune Warriors India]] which made its [[Indian Premier League|IPL]] debut in 2011.

In September 2011, he was appointed as the head coach of the [[Sri Lanka national cricket team|Sri Lanka national team]]. However, his tenure lasted barely four months. After Sri Lanka lost the Test and ODI series of their [[Sri Lankan cricket team in South Africa in 2011–12|tour of South Africa]] in December 2011 and January 2012, he was dismissed and replaced by [[Graham Ford]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.espncricinfo.com/srilanka/content/current/story/550933.html|title=Graham Ford appointed Sri Lanka coach|date=25 January 2012|work=[[ESPNcricinfo]]|access-date=25 January 2012}}</ref>

==Family==
Geoff Marsh is only the third Test player - after [[Walter Hadlee]] and [[Lala Amarnath]] - to have two sons play Test cricket:<ref>[http://www.espncricinfo.com/pakistan-v-australia-2014/content/story/791401.html Geoff Marsh and sons make history], [[ESPNcricinfo]], 22 October 2014</ref> [[Shaun Marsh]], who made his test debut against Sri Lanka in 2011; and [[Mitchell Marsh]], who made his test debut against Pakistan in 2014. The Marsh family took in the family of England cricketer [[Tom Curran (cricketer)|Tom Curran]] in Zimbabwe after the Curran family were evicted from their farm. Curran made his England Test debut in the 4th Ashes Test of 2017 playing against Shaun and Mitchell who played for Australia in the same game.

Geoff Marsh's daughter [[Melissa Marsh]] played state basketball in the [[Women's National Basketball League|WNBL]] and was captain of the [[Perth Lynx]].

==Career highlights==

===Tests===
Test Debut: vs [[Indian cricket team|India]], [[Adelaide]], 1985–1986<br />
Last Test: vs India, Adelaide, 1991–1992
*Marsh's best Test batting score of 138 was made against [[English cricket team|England]], [[Trent Bridge|Nottingham]], 1989

===One-day internationals===
ODI Debut: vs [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]], [[Sydney]], 1985–1986<br />
Last ODI: vs [[Pakistani cricket team|Pakistan]], [[Perth, Western Australia|Perth]], 1991–1992
*Marsh's best ODI batting score of 126 not out was made against [[New Zealand cricket team|New Zealand]], [[Chandigarh]], [[1987 cricket World Cup|1987 World Cup]]
*He captained Australia in four ODIs, winning three and losing one

===First class cricket===
Marsh scored 11,760 runs at 39.46, with 33 centuries.
*As of June 2018, his score of 355 [[not out]] for Western Australia against Southern Australia in December 1989 is the 31st highest score in first-class cricket history, and the 10th highest by an Australian.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
*{{cite book| first=Richie |last=Benaud | year=1991 |publisher=Hamlyn Australia |isbn= 0-947334-31-9 |title=Border & Co: A Tribute To Cricket's World Champions}}

==External links==
{{commons category|Geoff Marsh}}
*{{cricinfo|id=6499}}
*[http://www.howstat.com.au/cricket/Statistics/Players/PlayerOverview_ODI.asp?PlayerID=1088 HowSTAT! statistical profile of Geoff Marsh]
*{{WAFL FootyFacts}}

{{Australia ODI cricket captains}}
{{Australia 1987 Cricket World Cup squad}}
{{Australia 1992 Cricket World Cup squad}}
{{Australia 1999 Cricket World Cup squad}}
{{Zimbabwe 2003 Cricket World Cup squad}}
{{Sri Lanka national cricket team coaches}}
{{Australian first-class cricket season leading run-scorers (1950–51 to 1999–00)}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marsh, Geoff}}
[[Category:1958 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Australia One Day International cricketers]]
[[Category:Australia Test cricketers]]
[[Category:Australian cricket captains]]
[[Category:Australian cricket coaches]]
[[Category:Western Australia cricketers]]
[[Category:Western Australian Sports Star of the Year winners]]
[[Category:People educated at Hale School]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Northam, Western Australia]]
[[Category:South Fremantle Football Club players]]
[[Category:Australian rules footballers from Western Australia]]
[[Category:Australian cricketers]]
[[Category:Coaches of the Australia national cricket team]]
[[Category:Coaches of the Zimbabwe national cricket team]]
[[Category:Coaches of the Sri Lanka national cricket team]]
[[Category:Cricketers from Western Australia]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in Zimbabwe]]
[[Category:Australian expatriate sportspeople in Sri Lanka]]
[[Category:Marsh family (Western Australia)|G]]
[[Category:20th-century Australian sportsmen]]