S. MARSH – SOMEBODY STOP HIM

WANTED – Shaun Marsh, KXI Punjab opener
CRIME – Defying law of averages

Here we are at the business end of the IPL and the only one thing that would bother the CSK captain, MSD would be Marsh, Shaun Marsh. Little did Preity Zinta know that she had struck gold in selecting this previously unknown OZ. Shaun ‘consistent’ Marsh, the unstoppable Juggernaut, an alien about a month ago has become the house hold name of every Punjabi and the toast of the state. Reputations don’t seem to matter to him; Pace doesn’t seem to bother him. His rule book is small – just send the ball to the cleaners. That, more or less, seems to be the motive of this yet another Australian domestic creation.

Seldom have players achieved such a degree of consistency, like that of Marsh. Runs seem to be a cake walk; boundaries are as easy as falling off a log. With a whip lash pull and a flowing drive, Marsh is all set to take the cricketing world by storm. I wonder how the OZs manage to keep generating great players while the Indians have been relying on their awesome threesome for more than a decade now.

Most overseas players struggle to get bat onto ball in the sub continent. But here is a lad who has fit into the scheme of things as smooth as a sword fits into a scabbard. A quick runner between the wickets, Marsh has had various opening partners already. But understanding his partner of the hour seems to be no problem for him. What makes it heartening is the fact that he amasses the runs with shots straight out of the book. There is no slog element in his approach and amidst all this he maintains a superb strike rate as well.



He has a wide range of shots in his repertoire, the cover drive, the pull, the cut, the flick, the sweep. You name it, he has it (The French cut seems to be the only shot that has eluded this versatile youngster) He is equally strong off the back foot and the front foot and likes to play in the V. Holes in his armor haven’t been discovered yet.

Hmm if only, MSD had a genie. No prizes for guessing what his first wish would be. But can even a genie stop this rampant run machine. (When even guys like McGrath n Warne haven’t been successful) MSD might just be thinking, it’s time to stop planning and start praying. When Marsh is in this kind of form, God alone can stop him.