Geoffrey Robert Marsh is an Australian former cricketer, coach and selector. He played 50 Test matches and 117 One Day Internationals for Australia as an opening batsman. Marsh was a part of the Australian team that won their first world title during the 1987 Cricket World Cup. As the coach of Australia he was in charge when Australia won the 1999 Cricket World Cup in England. His steely, often grim, resolve in Tests was a contrast to his one-day batting, and it was in that he really flourished and found his true niche.

Geoff Marsh’s dreams of success were nurtured on his parents’ farm at Wandering, Western Australia, the flames fanned by his father Ted, who built a concrete practice pitch and bought a bowling machine. Here Marsh built the sound technique and rock-solid concentration that were the foundations of his game – the superstructure, an array of drives and cuts.

There was a lot of dedication in whatever Marsh did. A strict disciplinarian with rigid work ethics, he hated to fail and ensured that his determination always led him to success. Geoff's humble background taught him a lot of things at a very young age. Humility was equally a key reason in his success as a cricketer and he'll hope that his sons Shaun and Mitchell carry forward his legacy. Geoff Marsh sent out a message when he scored a century at Lord’s at the age of 18. The vice-captain of Australia’s Under-19 team looked set for a glittering career. He was chosen for WA the following season, but it was to be eight frustrating seasons – in and out of that team – before the name Geoff Marsh joined the Test cricket pantheon.

Marsh was a steady, solid right-handed opening batsman and capable fielder, making his first-class debut for Western Australia as a nineteen-year-old in the 1977/1978 Sheffield Shield season. In 1978 he played five games of Australian rules football for South Fremantle in the West Australian National Football League before concentrating only on cricket.

Marsh established himself as a solid competitor on the domestic front and was on the fringes of the national team for a number of years before winning selection in the Australian Test team. He made his debut in December 1985 against India and took part of the tours of New Zealand and India the following year. However, his domestic debut was less than impressive, scoring a golden pair for Western Australia on debut at Sydney Cricket Ground, which was recorded in hand-written form on a storing cabinet inside the away team's dressing room as a symbolic "domestic honours board.”

He soon made the opening position his own (despite his mediocre batting average of 33.18), batting alongside the likes of Mark Taylor and David Boon, and became an integral part of the Australian One Day International team. He along with David Boon became the first pair of openers to notch hundreds in a same ODI innings for the team. Marsh played international cricket over a seven-year period, ending in 1992. His 117 one-day internationals yielded 4357 runs at an imposing average just shy of 40, which was almost seven runs higher than his Test average. His nine centuries and 22 half-centuries provided the platform for many Australian victories.

He is best remembered for his part in the Australian team that won the 1987 World Cup in India, including an unbeaten 126 against New Zealand in Chandigarh, while he also captained his country in four matches. Over his career Marsh was a solid performer in One Day International cricket, with a batting average of nearly 40, but had a very low strike rate compared to more recent opening batsman. During his prime, Geoff Marsh was an epitome of determination and mental strength. Once set at the crease, it was practically impossible to dislodge him unless he himself chose to. Marsh's batting may not have been elegant to watch but was mighty effective. He adopted the age-old method of batting - to grind out the opposition bowlers and score after they were worn out completely. Marsh knew when to respect the bowlers' spells and was extremely judicious in his shot selection. This element in his game gave him great success, not only in Tests but also in ODIs where he played a key role in Australia's World Cup title in 1987, notably in the all-important final.

After a good number of years at the top, Marsh's form started dipping in the 1991-92 season. Subsequently, he got dropped from the side and although he longed for a comeback, that never happened. He duly retired from the game in 1994. Marsh retired from playing cricket before taking up coaching. In July 1996 he was chosen as coach of the Australian national Test and One Day International teams, playing a vital part in continuing his country's positions as the top cricketing nation of the time. He was the coach of the Australian team that won the 1999 World Cup in England, guiding the team to seven consecutive victories to help them win the tournament. After a faltering start to their 1999 World Cup campaign, Marsh orchestrated a stunning turnaround by the pre-tournament favourites, with the rampant Australians winning seven pulsating matches in a row, culminating in a crushing victory over a hapless Pakistan in the final, to lift the World Cup trophy for the second time.

He left the Australian coaching job and soon became a selector for the Australian Cricket Board (now Cricket Australia), although he left this position in 2001 to become coach of the Zimbabwean national teams. Marsh continued in this position until 2004 when his contract expired; many considered this decision was made due to the political circumstances of Zimbabwe's government under Robert Mugabe, although he has never commented publicly on the matter.