Australian cricket great Rod Marsh was "in the fight of his life" Monday after being placed in an induced coma following a major heart attack last week, his family said. The 74-year-old wicketkeeper, who played 96 Tests and was later a long-time national selector, was hospitalised after collapsing at a charity event in Queensland state. His son Paul said his condition was "critical".
"He is currently in the fight of his life and remains in an induced coma," he said in a statement released late Sunday. "At the moment this is a waiting game and we are unlikely to have any certainty for some time. "We know there is a lot of interest in dad's condition and our family has been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support from all around the world," he added. Marsh remains one of the finest wicketkeepers to have ever played international cricket, collecting what was then a world-record 355 Test dismissals.
The 74-year old has played 96 Test matches for Australia between 1970 and 1984. The left-handed batter has scored 3633 runs in the longest format of the game at an average of 26.51. Marsh also has three centuries and 16 fifties under his belt. Talking about his limited-over career, the wicketkeeper-batter represented his country in 92 ODIs scoring 1225 runs. He also has four fifties under his name in the ODI format. Marsh has also served as a national selector until 2016.
