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| Geoff Marsh |
Perth: One of the finest openers of his time, Geoff Marsh is also remembered for being the coach when Australia won the 1999 World Cup. A former national selector too, Marsh spoke to The Telegraph on Thursday afternoon.
The following are excerpts
On what keeps him busy
Cricket-wise, I’m a state selector... Outside the game, I deal with sports cruiser boats, which are made in Queensland... My hands are pretty full...
On the qualities an opener must have
Technique and temperament are the obvious ones but, for me, the opener should have the want to open... He’s got to be hungry for the job... Got to be willing to give that 100 per cent even if means taking guard in the last 30 minutes of a day... In fact, given the responsibility, openers are a team within a team.
On his top five openers
Gordon Greenidge: A great batsman. Period.
Desmond Haynes: He was fantastic and that’s reflected in his record.
Sunil Gavaskar: A brilliant technician.
Matthew Hayden: He’s just so good... Is prolific and wants to dominate... Has an amazing mindset.
David Boon: My partner in a number of matches... Very solid with a big appetite.
On whether it has been tough leaving out somebody
Well, yes... Geoffrey Boycott and Mark Taylor.
On whether he’s in favour of makeshift openers
A No. 3 can open... There’s not much of a difference between a No. 3 and the openers... I wouldn’t, for example, have a problem with Rahul Dravid opening... He did in the first two Tests, but was out of form. I liked his innings on the first day at the Waca.
On India’s opening pair in the ongoing Test — Virender Sehwag and Wasim Jaffer
I would have played Sehwag from the first Test... He’s the kind who can unsettle bowlers... Jaffer is struggling and I’m not sure whether he believes he belongs to the big stage... A professional must have that belief... I think it’s a mental thing with him, plus he’s got to move his feet. He appears too stagnant at the crease.
On who makes a good coach
The one with the best communication skills... Somebody like John Buchanan...
On Ian Chappell and Shane Warne tearing into Buchanan
But they have been the only two to be critical... You should talk to the Adam Gilchrists, Haydens and the Glenn McGraths... Buchanan was an excellent coach and kept challenging his players to get better... A hundred or a fiver wouldn’t be enough for him and he would push for more hundreds and more fivers... Buchanan helped make Australia the fittest team and made the players do the basics harder than anybody else.
On Buchanan’s successor, Tim Nielsen
He’s worked with Buchanan and, so, there’s continuity.
On whether he intends returning to big-time coaching
Not now, but down the path, yes. (Adds laughing) I’d love to help India win the World Cup!
On having done a study for the Board of Control for Cricket in India, in early 2001
Don’t know what happened to it...
Finally, on India captain Anil Kumble’s claim that only one team played the SCG Test in the right spirit
I wouldn’t really like to comment... All I’ll say is that Test cricket is tough cricket and what happened can’t be undone... After Monday’s meeting between the captains, I think the game emerged the winner... In my view, Kumble handled things very well.
