Height, an imposing physical form and a mean streak are some of the typical prerequisites for being a fast bowler in cricket. Marlon Ian Black was tall and burly - although he lacked a truly menacing demeanour. He would go about his bowling with a quiet focus that belied his imposing physical form.
The former West Indies and Trinidad and Tobago fast bowler may likely be remembered (if at all) for his misfortune than any tremendous success. Considering his talent and approach to the game, it was surely a pity that his cricket career did not last more than ten years.
Born in Trinidad on June 7th, 1975, Marlon Black developed into the archetypal fast bowler. He made his debut at the age of 18 in the 1993/94 West Indies domestic season- playing for his native Trinidad and Tobago. Black was a diligent performer at First-class level for several years before being selected to the West Indies team for their abysmal tour of Australia at the end of the year 2000.
His debut began in horrendous fashion- through no fault of his. The West Indies were bowled out for an embarrassing total of 82 runs on a fair Brisbane pitch. When Black came on to bowl, he impressed sufficiently with his form. His return of 4/83 on debut- an innings analysis that also represented his best match figures since the West Indies lost that match by an innings.
Towards the end of that 2000 tour of Australia, Marlon Black was assaulted outside a nightclub on a night out with some of his teammates. He was beaten and left unconscious on a street by three attackers. He survived that assault, but it certainly hindered his cricket career. He missed the opportunity to play in the 2001 First-class and international season.
Black only managed to play six Tests and 5 ODIs. From those six Tests, he managed 12 wickets at a high average of 49.75. From his 5 ODIs, he managed no wickets and had an economy rate of 5.15 runs per over. Black was also a complete 'rabbit' with the bat- having not ever scored a First-class half-century even. To his credit, he managed 166 wickets from 55 First-class matches.
Marlon Black's modest record in those forms of the game didn't indicate great potential. However, one would never know what might have been. Black last played competitive cricket in the 2003/2004 season. He was only 28 years old when he retired. When his story is told, it would seem that Marlon Black never recovered from that fateful night in Australia when he was assaulted.
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