Random Cricket Photos Post 120



#RandomCricketPhotosThatMakeMeHappy

Plastered hand and perspective

Among all the photos of Malcolm Marshall on the internet, I believe, this is the most important one of his for perspective.

With his thumb broken at two places while fielding at gully, Marshall could have easily sat out in the third Test of a 5 match series in 1984 which his team was leading 2-0 against the hosts England.

Instead, he came out to bat with a plastered hand to allow Larry Gomes score a ton and then bowled with a plaster cast to take 7-53 to win the match for his team.

Was there any challenge that Marshall couldn't triumph? It didn't seem so then, at least for a man who finished his career with 386 wickets at an average of just 21.

15 years later, while he was coaching West Indies in the 1999 Cricket World Cup in the same country, his colon cancer was diagnosed.

In no time, the man who could instill fear in the heads of the most fearless of batsmen in his prime, was reduced to almost 25 kgs by the disease. Yes, 25 Kgs before he was eventually claimed by Cancer in the same year itself at the age of just 41.

Marshall's story, and the sight of Mohd. Ali's trembling hands when lighting up the Olympic torch in 1996 are, personally, two stories from sports that tell me that life isn't the fairest even to some champions.

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