Hamish Marshall, a stylish middle-order batsman, made his Test debut against South Africa in December 2000, but the match was severely disrupted by rain.

Batting at No. 7, Marshall made an unbeaten 40, and showed great maturity and promise. However, he was not picked again and had to wait for another three years to get his chance when he was called up for the one-day series in Pakistan in 2003-04. In his third game, he scored an impressive 101 not out at Faisalabad, and later scored 64 and 84 to help New Zealand win the corresponding home series.

He then helped New Zealand to win the 2003-04 home one-day series against South Africa, and was called up for the 2004 NatWest Series in England. He scored 75 not out and 55 in the group matches, before contributing a solid 44 as New Zealand won the final against West Indies.

Marshall had initially impressed the selection panel with his performance during a BIL Academy tour of India during the winter when he scored two centuries. He had been the Young Player to Lord's in 1998 and a member of the New Zealand Cricket Academy in 1999. His maiden

Test century came in March 2005 against Australia, no less - an innings of 146, in which he was unshakeable against pace, although Brett Lee had been omitted. Another big hundred, this time 160, came at the hands of the Sri Lankans in April, which sparked the interest of Gloucestershire who, in November, signed him and his team-mate Shane Bond for 2006.

Marshall struggled to hold down a place in New Zealand's ODI side through 2006-07 and although he was not picked in the World Cup squad, he later joined the team as a replacement when Lou Vincent broke his wrist. Marshall played three games in the Caribbean but surprised New Zealand by refusing a national contract for 2007-08 so he could pursue a career in England's county cricket as a local player.