Shaun Marsh facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shaun Marsh

Marsh in January 2009
Personal information
Full name	Shaun Edward Marsh
Born	(1983-07-09) 9 July 1983 (age 42) Narrogin, Western Australia
Nickname	SOS (Son of Swampy)
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Slow left-arm orthodox
Role	Top-order batter
Relations	Geoff Marsh (father) Mitchell Marsh (brother) Melissa Marsh (sister)
International information
National side	Australia (2008–2019)
Test debut (cap 422)	8 September 2011 v Sri Lanka
Last Test	3 January 2019 v India
ODI debut (cap 165)	24 June 2008 v West Indies
Last ODI	15 June 2019 v Sri Lanka
ODI shirt no.	9
T20I debut (cap 30)	20 June 2008 v West Indies
Last T20I	31 January 2016 v India
T20I shirt no.	9
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2000/01–2022/23	Western Australia
2008–2017	Kings XI Punjab
2011/12–2018/19	Perth Scorchers
2012, 2018–2019	Glamorgan
2017	Yorkshire
2019/20–2023/24	Melbourne Renegades
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI FC LA Matches 38 73 182 177 Runs scored 2,265 2,773 12,015 7,158 Batting average 34.31 40.77 41.43 44.45 100s/50s 6/10 7/15 32/58 19/38 Top score 182 151 214 186 Balls bowled – – 216 36 Wickets – – 2 1 Bowling average – – 77.50 31.00 5 wickets in innings – – 0 0 10 wickets in match – – 0 0 Best bowling – – 2/20 1/14 Catches/stumpings 23/– 22/– 170/– 63/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 21 April 2022

Shaun Edward Marsh (born 9 July 1983) is a former Australian cricket player. He played for the Western Australia cricket team in Australia and also represented Australia in all three types of international cricket games. Shaun is a left-handed batsman who usually batted at the top of the order. His nickname is SOS, which stands for "Son of Swampy", because his father Geoff Marsh was also a famous cricketer.

Shaun Marsh announced his retirement from first-class cricket on 10 March 2023. He continued to play in the BBL for the Melbourne Renegades until the 2023-24 season.

About Shaun Marsh

Family Life and Cricket Connections

Shaun Marsh is the first son of Geoff Marsh, who also played for the Australian national team. His younger brother, Mitchell Marsh, is also a well-known Australian cricketer. Their sister, Melissa Marsh, is a former professional basketball player.

Shaun is married to Rebecca Marsh, a journalist. They have three children together.

Early Days and School Cricket

Shaun and his brother Mitchell went to Wesley College in Perth. They were both very good at cricket there. In 1998, Shaun set a record for the highest batting average (210) in the Darlot Cup cricket competition for schools. This record stood for 10 years.

Shaun also had an eye test in 2017, which showed he was short-sighted. He started wearing contact lenses to help him see better while playing.

Junior Cricket Career

Shaun Marsh played for Western Australia at the Under 17 and Under 19 levels. He also represented Australia in the ICC Under-19 World Cups in 1999–2000 and 2001–02.

In the 1999–2000 tournament in Sri Lanka, he was the second-highest run-scorer for Australia. He played alongside future stars like Shane Watson and Michael Clarke. Australia won the 2001–02 tournament in New Zealand, where Shaun scored the fourth-most runs overall.

During this time, Shaun made his first-class cricket debut in March 2001. He played for Western Australia against South Australia. He continued to play for the Australian Under 19 team and the Australian Cricket Academy.

Playing Domestic Cricket

Marsh batting for WA against Victoria in the 2009–10 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash.

Marsh batting for WA in the 2007–08 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash final.

In October 2002, Shaun Marsh played for Western Australia against the touring English team. He scored 92 runs against their strong bowlers. Soon after, he made his List A debut for the Warriors.

Over the next few years, he became a key player for the Warriors. He scored his first first-class century in 2003. In the 2007–08 season, he was in excellent form. He scored his highest career score of 166 not out in first-class cricket. He was also the top run-scorer for the Warriors in the 50-over competition.

Shaun became an opening batsman for Western Australia, just like his father. He was named the best player for Western Australia in the 2007–08 season.

Big Bash League Success

Shaun Marsh was highly sought after for the Big Bash League. He chose to play for the Perth Scorchers. He quickly showed his skill, scoring 99 not out in one of his first games.

In October 2012, Shaun faced a challenge when he was dropped from the Perth Scorchers and the Western Australian team due to an off-field incident. He had a talk with his former teammate and new coach, Justin Langer. This helped him regain his confidence.

Marsh then played very well in the 2012–13 Big Bash League season. He scored five half-centuries and was the leading run-scorer, helping the Scorchers reach the final. He continued this great form for Western Australia, scoring 155 not out in a one-day game.

Marsh batting for Yorkshire in 2017.

In 2019, he signed with Glamorgan in England. In October 2020, he scored his 30th century in first-class cricket during a 2020–21 Sheffield Shield season match.

Indian Premier League (IPL) Career

Shaun Marsh's strong performances led him to get a contract in the 2008 Indian Premier League. He opened the batting for the Kings XI Punjab. Even though he missed some early games, he scored the most runs in the league stage of the tournament. This included a century in the final league match.

He received the "Orange Cap" for being the top run-scorer in the 2008 IPL. He was also chosen for the first-ever IPL "dream team" by ESPNcricinfo. Shaun Marsh was a very important player for Kings XI Punjab for many years.

International Cricket Career

A graph of Shaun Marsh's ODI performance. The bars show the runs scored in each innings (blue bars indicate innings where he has been dismissed, orange bars indicate where he has remained not out). The red line shows the career batting average after each innings.

Shaun Marsh's excellent form in 2007–08 earned him a contract with Cricket Australia. He was called up to the Australian team for a tour of the West Indies.

He made his international debut in June 2008 in a Twenty20 game against the West Indies. A few days later, he made a great One Day International (ODI) debut, scoring 81 runs and winning the Man of the Match award. With some famous Australian opening batsmen retiring, Marsh was able to secure a spot as an opener for Australia. He scored his first ODI century against India in November 2009.

Test Cricket Debut and Highlights

Marsh was part of the Test cricket squad for Australia's tour of India in 2008, but he did not play a match then.

In July 2011, Marsh was selected for the Australian Test Squad for the tour to Sri Lanka. His father presented him with his "baggy green cap," which is a special cap given to Test cricketers. Shaun made his first Test century on his debut against Sri Lanka on 8 September 2011. He scored 141 runs and became the 19th Australian to score a century in their first Test match.

After some injuries and a period of lower scores, Marsh returned to the Test team in 2014. He often filled in when other top batsmen were injured. In February 2014, he scored 148 runs in his first innings against South Africa. In December 2014, he scored 254 runs in three Tests against India.

Marsh batting during the 2018 Sydney Ashes Test.

In 2015, he played in the West Indies tour and scored 112 runs. In 2015–16, he scored his highest Test score of 182 against the West Indies.

In 2016, Marsh was recalled as a first-choice opening batsman for the tour of Sri Lanka. He scored a century (130) in his return innings.

World Cup Participation

In April 2019, Shaun Marsh was named in Australia's squad for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. However, he had to leave the tournament early due to a fractured forearm.