Marshall picks his Glos team of the decade
10 October 2016
Since joining the club in 2006, Hamish Marshall has played alongside some of the greats of Gloucestershire Cricket.
As he bids farewell to the club he has served so well for the last decade we asked him to select his best Gloucestershire XI from his time at the Brightside Ground.
From legends of the world game to members of the current squad “with international potential” check out who makes Marshy’s team and why…
Hamish Marshall's Glos XI 2006-2016
1. Craig Spearman (Glos 2002-2009)
Career Stats“Spears was one of those players that nothing phased him (sic). He was a freak. It didn’t matter who was bowling at him, he could take attacks apart and make good bowlers look ordinary.
“He was a bit of a genius at times and could have played a lot more at international level.”
2. Chris Dent (Glos 2010 to present)
“We knew it was there but over the last couple of seasons Denty has progressed and become a consistent runscorer at the top of the order. He can score runs in difficult conditions and makes big hundreds. He is also a great slip fielder – he can make something happen from nothing in the field.
“He is a player with international potential.”
3. Kane Williamson (Glos 2011-12)
Career Stats“He is simply one of the greatest batsmen in the world. You could see right from when he was 18 or 19 that he was something different but I am sure his time with Glos, getting used to English conditions definitely played a part in making him the player he is today.”
4. Michael Klinger (Glos 2013 to present)
Career Stats“Maxy has just been great for us. He is so consistent across all formats – he just keeps banging out the runs. He is a proven match winner and has won so many one-day and T20 games for us over the years.
“He has also been a reliable run scorer in red ball cricket and his stats stack up with any one you could mention.
“He has probably been the right guy at the wrong time as far as international cricket is concerned. He definitely should have played international cricket and probably would have for any country other than Australia.”
5. Hamish Marshall (Glos 2006 to 2016)
Career Stats“Only because you are making me pick myself!”
6. Ian Harvey (Glos 1999-2006)
“Harv was a match-winner with bat and ball. He was almost ahead of his time in the era he played – particularly in one-day and T20 cricket.
“With the bat he could take the game away from you. With the ball, his slower ball was superb – players just didn’t see it coming – and he was very good at exploiting English conditions.”
7. Will Gidman (Glos 2011-2014)
Career Stats“For my other allrounder I’m going to go for Will Gidman. He can score runs at decent rate but can also bat for long periods - nothing seemed to bother him too much. He nipped the ball around and consistently took important wickets with the new ball. To score 100 runs and take 50 wickets (which Will did in First Class cricket in 2011) is a great achievement. Not too many guys have managed that and it shows how valuable he was to us.”
8. Geraint Jones (Glos 2014-15)
“This a really tough one. If I was picking a four-day team I would go for Rodders (Gareth Roderick) but for his performances in white ball cricket Geraint just shades it.
"He had a good international career and he was great around the lads when he was here. He kept well in the T20 and scored some crucial runs – particularly that innings in the Royal London final win.”
9. Jon Lewis (Glos 1995-2011)
“Lewy had a great career with Gloucestershire. He was a quality bowler who had good skills and could work batsmen out. He could move the ball through off the wicket and in the air.”
10. Steve Kirby (Glos 2005-2010)
“Kirbs was brilliant for us. He was a quick, aggressive fast bowler who had a real passion for the game. Kirbs and Lewy were a great combination.”
11. Muttiah Muralitharan (Glos 2011-12)
Career Stats“My spinner has to be Murali. He always bowled positively, to try and take wickets and often did. He put pressure on the opposition and in his second year his wickets took us a long way in the T20.
“He was also so good with the youngsters in the squad. He used to organise big dinners at his house and invite all the boys around and he loved talking about the game and sharing his knowledge.”
