live cricket scores - Malcolm MarshallSunday , August 22 2010 , 10:21 PM 
In an era of great West Indian fast bowlers, at a time when it was an achievement to simply be part of the fearsome quartet (Holding, Garner, Roberts, Croft and later Ambrose, Bishop, Walsh to name a few), Malcolm Marshall’s skill and determination took him to the top of the pile. At just under 5’ 11’’, Marshall was relatively short compared to his fellow quick bowlers but he used this to his advantage. An unorthodox angled run-up and whippy, front-on action produced both searing pace and unplayable swing, supplemented by a wicked bouncer that became the most feared ball in his armoury. However, it was Marshall’s exceptional cricketing brain and competitiveness that set him apart – as one cricket writer said, ‘he had all the toys’ but more importantly ‘he knew when and how to play with them’. At his peak he was the best fast bowler of his time, possibly of all time, and his bowling average of 20.94 is still the best that any bowler has taken over 200 Test wickets. You can watch him in action here. As a talented lower order batsman he did not really do himself justice. However, he did love batting and is probably the closest the West Indies have had to a world-class all-rounder since Sir Garfield Sobers. Off the pitch he is remembered most for his cheerful Bajan spirit and was exceptionally popular among his fellow players, team-mates and opponents. Former West Indian team-mate Colin Croft said, ‘I do not know anyone who would say anything bad about Malcolm as a person or cricketer.’ Sadly his life was cruelly cut short when, in 1999 aged 41, he died not long after being diagnosed with colon cancer. Catch all the live cricket scores at cricandcric.com
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