Douglas Marillier
Encyclopedia
Douglas Anthony Marillier (born June 24, 1978 in Salisbury - now Harare
) is a Zimbabwe
an cricket
er.
He is a right hand batsman and a right arm offspin bowler. One of earliest vulgarisers of the "scoop" stroke which is designed to sail over fine-leg, he has a one-day top score of 100, achieved in Sharjah
against Kenya
in April 2003. He is credited as the inventor of the Marillier shot
, in which the batsman extends the bat as a ramp in front of him and flicks the ball over his shoulder to fine leg. It is sometimes referred to as the Marillier.
Marillier was born in Harare, his father was a policeman and played cricket for the Harare Police Club, as well as occasionally playing for Zimbabwe and before that Rhodesia
. Marillier first played cricket at North Park Primary School, and in his third year he started to play in the Colts side, with boys three years older than he was. Although this seems a reasonable achievement, Neil Marillier was part-time coach there and Marillier believes his selection was the result of nepotism
.
Marillier attended Eaglesvale High School in Harare and quickly became a key figure for the cricket team there, although the team was a weak one. When he was 16, Marillier played for Mashonaland
U19s for the first time.
Just as his career was taking off, however, disaster struck. Marillier was involved in a horrific car accident. A truck pulled out in front of the car he was in; and he broke both his femur
s, suffered a compound fracture
in the right leg, severed an artery
there as well, and had a bone in his left leg crushed. Marillier was in a wheelchair for three months; many doubted he would play cricket again. He missed a year of school and cricket. But he slowly recovered.
While he was recovering and still unable to play himself, Marillier involved himself in coaching, and a bit of umpiring, to stay involved in the game. Marillier himself never lost faith that he would one day play again, and this belief helped him through a difficult time. He finally returned to play in a school match almost a year after the accident, opening the batting against Oakham School from England. Rather short of confidence, he padded away the first ball, to be given out lbw. He did rather better in his next match, scoring a sixty.
It was the accident that made Marillier determined to make a success of his career, and in his last year at Eaglesvale he blasted two double centuries and nine hundreds. Marillier admits that during his second double hundred he was hungover from overindulging at a school Speech Night party and set out with the goal of having a quick slog!
Marillier toured England
with the Zimbabwe U19 team in 1996 and set a then world record partnership of 268 for the first wicket with his friend Mark Vermeulen
When Marillier got back from that tour he started playing league cricket, and his good form there led to his selection for Zimbabwe B. He did not play for a while but when he did he played very well, hitting 108 against Border
B. In 1997 he played for Kenilworth in England, hitting 1207 runs in 97, followed by 1218 in 1999.
Marillier applied for and was accepted by the CFX Academy in 1999 and he did well there; he played against the Australian Academy and he did so well that he got to go to Australia for two and a half weeks attending the Academy. When he returned Marillier hit a hundred for the Academy against the New Zealanders
in a one-day warm-up game, and this led to his selection for the full national side for the ODI series.
Marillier made his debut in place of Craig Wishart
in the second match. The first ball he faced was on his legs and so he flicked it away for three, which settled him. He put on 83 for the first wicket with Alistair Campbell
before pulling a long hop to midwicket for 27. Their stand was a major reason why Zimbabwe won the match. In the third game he scored 47, in a partnership of 97 with Campbell.
Zimbabwe next travelled to Nairobi
for the International Cricket Council
Knockout Competition, but unfortunately the team had already been selected, so Marillier was unable to go. He was naturally a member of the following overseas trip, the extended tour of Sharjah
, India
, New Zealand and Australia. Opening the batting in five One Day Internationals, his highest score was only 11, but the tour selectors persevered with him, putting him down to number seven, where he scored 38 against India. He also made his Test
debut against New Zealand, scoring 28.
His lack of consistency meant that he did not play in the triangular tournament in Australia, which also included West Indies, until the final match. He could hardly have had a more testing experience, as a fine Zimbabwe batting performance after Australia scored over 300 meant that he came in at number seven needing to score 15 in the final over, bowled by Glenn McGrath
, to win the match.
He moved across to the first and third balls he received from McGrath and flicked them over his shoulder to fine leg for boundaries, reviving hopes of an incredible Zimbabwe victory. But he was just unable to complete the job, and his team lost by one run. His two courageous and unorthodox boundary strokes, though, made him a legend, temporarily at least, with the shot becoming known as the Marillier shot
.
Now, whenever he is mentioned he is called an unorthodox batsman and that shot is still in use, although it iss very risky. Notable exponents of the Marillier shot
include the New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum
.
Back in Zimbabwe, he did well in the Logan Cup
, captaining the Midlands
team and scoring two centuries to average 55. However, this was down the order, as he decided his technique was not tight enough for him to open the innings. Despite his domestic success, he failed to keep his place against Bangladesh
, and decided to take up a club appointment in England rather than stay at home and hope for selection against India
and West Indies. He might have had a match or two, in fact, as Zimbabwe suffered from injuries, and had he been available he might have played in the final Test against the West Indies instead of Hamilton Masakadza
, who hit a century on debut.
He won back his place in the one-day side against England, but failed again with the bat; it was surprisingly his bowling that kept him in the team, after he took four wickets for 38 against England at Bulawayo
and continued thereafter to bowl his flighted off-breaks usefully. After scoring 19 runs in five innings, two of them opening, he broke through with 52 not out at number six against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, followed by 37 in Pakistan.
Marillier continued to do reasonably well for the national side. In 2002 he "Marilliered" Zimbabwe to a famous win in India in an ODI with a 56* at the death, although this time he used the shot against Anil Kumble
. He made the side for the World Cup but did not do well. After the World Cup however he had an excellent tournament in Sharjah, taking wickets as well as scoring 100 against Kenya
, his first international hundred, as an opener.
In England however Marillier had a bad form slump and lost his place, although his tight bowling in tandem with Ray Price
was a key factor in Zimbabwe's only ODI win, over England at Bristol. He did not play for the national side again, with first Wishart then Barney Rogers
preferred to him as opener. Just before the rebellion Marillier announced his retirement from cricket. However he has since return in action in domestic cricket.
Marillier's international stats do not do him justice really; he averages 31 in Tests with two fifties, although it has to be said both came against Bangladesh, and in ODIs his batting average is only 18 (but he can be a match winner on his day) and 41 with the ball, with 30 wickets. In first-class cricket Marillier averages 37 with 6 hundreds and 13 fifties. With the ball he averages 37 with 46 wickets. In Domestic One-day cricket his batting average is 25, 3 hundreds 9 fifties and 40 with the ball taking 56 wickets.
Marillier's cricketing heroes are, like so many Zimbabweans, the Flower brothers, Andy
and Grant
. He rates Glenn McGrath as the most difficult opponent he has faced although he said that before he made a mockery of him in Australia! Marillier used to play field hockey
for his school as well as tennis
but he does not really play any more. For relaxation Marillier enjoys a bit of fishing
.
Douglas Marillier's last domestic commitment was for Zimbabwe A against Pakistan A in 2005. After that he did not play any official cricket. He is currently working in the Real Estate in Zimbabwe and also play some social cricket there. In 2009, he turned out for 'Red Lions' in the Zimbabwean Winter Premier Cricket League and it was believed that he was a player to return through franchise system. But after the introduction of franchise cricket in Zimbabwe, that does not seem to be the case for him along with another former Zimbabwean player Campbell MacMillan. But the cricket world will surely remember him for his 'Marillier Shot'.
Doug's elder brother Eian Marillier, a wicketkeeper, played a few first-class matches in Zimbabwe, although only for a short time. He is now involved in playing club cricket in UK.
Doug's younger brother Stephan James Marillier, currently plays for Southern Rocks in Zimbabwean franchise cricket.
Harare
Harare before 1982 known as Salisbury) is the largest city and capital of Zimbabwe. It has an estimated population of 1,600,000, with 2,800,000 in its metropolitan area . Administratively, Harare is an independent city equivalent to a province. It is Zimbabwe's largest city and its...
) is a Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
an cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
er.
He is a right hand batsman and a right arm offspin bowler. One of earliest vulgarisers of the "scoop" stroke which is designed to sail over fine-leg, he has a one-day top score of 100, achieved in Sharjah
Sharjah (city)
Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...
against Kenya
Kenyan cricket team
The Kenya national cricket team is the team that represents the country of Kenya in international cricket matches. They are considered one of the strongest of the associate member nations of the International Cricket Council, especially since reaching the semi-final of the 2003 Cricket World Cup...
in April 2003. He is credited as the inventor of the Marillier shot
Marillier shot
The Marillier shot is a modern shot in cricket which involves using the bat as a ramp to flick a ball backwards over the batsman's shoulder for a boundary. It is a rare, risky and unorthodox shot but when successfully used can be devastating...
, in which the batsman extends the bat as a ramp in front of him and flicks the ball over his shoulder to fine leg. It is sometimes referred to as the Marillier.
Marillier was born in Harare, his father was a policeman and played cricket for the Harare Police Club, as well as occasionally playing for Zimbabwe and before that Rhodesia
Rhodesia
Rhodesia , officially the Republic of Rhodesia from 1970, was an unrecognised state located in southern Africa that existed between 1965 and 1979 following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the United Kingdom on 11 November 1965...
. Marillier first played cricket at North Park Primary School, and in his third year he started to play in the Colts side, with boys three years older than he was. Although this seems a reasonable achievement, Neil Marillier was part-time coach there and Marillier believes his selection was the result of nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
.
Marillier attended Eaglesvale High School in Harare and quickly became a key figure for the cricket team there, although the team was a weak one. When he was 16, Marillier played for Mashonaland
Mashonaland
Mashonaland is a region in northern Zimbabwe. It is the home of the Shona people.Currently, Mashonaland is divided into three provinces, with a total population of about 3 million:* Mashonaland West* Mashonaland Central* Mashonaland East...
U19s for the first time.
Just as his career was taking off, however, disaster struck. Marillier was involved in a horrific car accident. A truck pulled out in front of the car he was in; and he broke both his femur
Femur
The femur , or thigh bone, is the most proximal bone of the leg in tetrapod vertebrates capable of walking or jumping, such as most land mammals, birds, many reptiles such as lizards, and amphibians such as frogs. In vertebrates with four legs such as dogs and horses, the femur is found only in...
s, suffered a compound fracture
Fracture
A fracture is the separation of an object or material into two, or more, pieces under the action of stress.The word fracture is often applied to bones of living creatures , or to crystals or crystalline materials, such as gemstones or metal...
in the right leg, severed an artery
Artery
Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart. This blood is normally oxygenated, exceptions made for the pulmonary and umbilical arteries....
there as well, and had a bone in his left leg crushed. Marillier was in a wheelchair for three months; many doubted he would play cricket again. He missed a year of school and cricket. But he slowly recovered.
While he was recovering and still unable to play himself, Marillier involved himself in coaching, and a bit of umpiring, to stay involved in the game. Marillier himself never lost faith that he would one day play again, and this belief helped him through a difficult time. He finally returned to play in a school match almost a year after the accident, opening the batting against Oakham School from England. Rather short of confidence, he padded away the first ball, to be given out lbw. He did rather better in his next match, scoring a sixty.
It was the accident that made Marillier determined to make a success of his career, and in his last year at Eaglesvale he blasted two double centuries and nine hundreds. Marillier admits that during his second double hundred he was hungover from overindulging at a school Speech Night party and set out with the goal of having a quick slog!
Marillier toured England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with the Zimbabwe U19 team in 1996 and set a then world record partnership of 268 for the first wicket with his friend Mark Vermeulen
Mark Vermeulen
Mark Andrew Vermeulen is a Zimbabwean cricketer in both Test matches and One Day Internationals.He is a right-handed opening batsman and occasional off spin bowler, playing for Matabeleland Tuskers in the Zimbabwean Logan Cup, with a very good record at domestic level.The former captain of the...
When Marillier got back from that tour he started playing league cricket, and his good form there led to his selection for Zimbabwe B. He did not play for a while but when he did he played very well, hitting 108 against Border
Border
Borders define geographic boundaries of political entities or legal jurisdictions, such as governments, sovereign states, federated states and other subnational entities. Some borders—such as a state's internal administrative borders, or inter-state borders within the Schengen Area—are open and...
B. In 1997 he played for Kenilworth in England, hitting 1207 runs in 97, followed by 1218 in 1999.
Marillier applied for and was accepted by the CFX Academy in 1999 and he did well there; he played against the Australian Academy and he did so well that he got to go to Australia for two and a half weeks attending the Academy. When he returned Marillier hit a hundred for the Academy against the New Zealanders
New Zealanders
New Zealanders, colloquially known as Kiwis, are citizens of New Zealand. New Zealand is a multiethnic society, and home to people of many different national origins...
in a one-day warm-up game, and this led to his selection for the full national side for the ODI series.
Marillier made his debut in place of Craig Wishart
Craig Wishart
Craig Brian Wishart is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who retired in 2005 .During his career he played for several Mashonaland districts as well as the Zimbabwean national team. He made his Test debut in 1995 in Harare...
in the second match. The first ball he faced was on his legs and so he flicked it away for three, which settled him. He put on 83 for the first wicket with Alistair Campbell
Alistair Campbell (cricketer)
Alistair Douglas Ross Campbell is a former Zimbabwean Test cricketer. In total he played 60 matches in his Test career, captaining Zimbabwe on 21 occasions. He also played 188 One Day Internationals, being captain in 86 of them...
before pulling a long hop to midwicket for 27. Their stand was a major reason why Zimbabwe won the match. In the third game he scored 47, in a partnership of 97 with Campbell.
Zimbabwe next travelled to Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
for the International Cricket Council
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council is the international governing body of cricket. It was founded as the Imperial Cricket Conference in 1909 by representatives from England, Australia and South Africa, renamed the International Cricket Conference in 1965, and took up its current name in 1989.The...
Knockout Competition, but unfortunately the team had already been selected, so Marillier was unable to go. He was naturally a member of the following overseas trip, the extended tour of Sharjah
Sharjah (city)
Sharjah is the third largest and most populous city in the United Arab Emirates. It is located along the southern coast of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula.Sharjah is the seat of government of the emirate of Sharjah...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, New Zealand and Australia. Opening the batting in five One Day Internationals, his highest score was only 11, but the tour selectors persevered with him, putting him down to number seven, where he scored 38 against India. He also made his Test
Test cricket
Test cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. Test matches are played between national representative teams with "Test status", as determined by the International Cricket Council , with four innings played between two teams of 11 players over a period of up to a maximum five days...
debut against New Zealand, scoring 28.
His lack of consistency meant that he did not play in the triangular tournament in Australia, which also included West Indies, until the final match. He could hardly have had a more testing experience, as a fine Zimbabwe batting performance after Australia scored over 300 meant that he came in at number seven needing to score 15 in the final over, bowled by Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath
Glenn Donald McGrath AM , nicknamed "Pigeon", is a former Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the early 21st century...
, to win the match.
He moved across to the first and third balls he received from McGrath and flicked them over his shoulder to fine leg for boundaries, reviving hopes of an incredible Zimbabwe victory. But he was just unable to complete the job, and his team lost by one run. His two courageous and unorthodox boundary strokes, though, made him a legend, temporarily at least, with the shot becoming known as the Marillier shot
Marillier shot
The Marillier shot is a modern shot in cricket which involves using the bat as a ramp to flick a ball backwards over the batsman's shoulder for a boundary. It is a rare, risky and unorthodox shot but when successfully used can be devastating...
.
Now, whenever he is mentioned he is called an unorthodox batsman and that shot is still in use, although it iss very risky. Notable exponents of the Marillier shot
Marillier shot
The Marillier shot is a modern shot in cricket which involves using the bat as a ramp to flick a ball backwards over the batsman's shoulder for a boundary. It is a rare, risky and unorthodox shot but when successfully used can be devastating...
include the New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum
Brendon McCullum
Brendon Barrie McCullum is a New Zealand international cricketer, who plays for the Otago Volts at provincial level. He is a wicket-keeper, as well as an aggressive batsman who opens in One-day Internationals and is known for his fast scoring rate...
.
Back in Zimbabwe, he did well in the Logan Cup
Logan Cup
The Logan Cup is the premier domestic first-class cricket competition in Zimbabwe. The current champions are the Matabeleland Tusker.-History:...
, captaining the Midlands
Midlands (Zimbabwe)
Midlands is a province of Zimbabwe. It has an area of 49,166 km² and a population of approximately 1.5 million . Gweru is the capital of the province. It is home to various peoples...
team and scoring two centuries to average 55. However, this was down the order, as he decided his technique was not tight enough for him to open the innings. Despite his domestic success, he failed to keep his place against Bangladesh
Bangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, and decided to take up a club appointment in England rather than stay at home and hope for selection against India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and West Indies. He might have had a match or two, in fact, as Zimbabwe suffered from injuries, and had he been available he might have played in the final Test against the West Indies instead of Hamilton Masakadza
Hamilton Masakadza
Hamilton Masakadza is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a right-handed batsman and occasional right-arm leg-break bowler.In February 2000 he became the first black Zimbabwean to score a first-class century. Soon after, in July 2001 he became the youngest player to make a century on his Test debut...
, who hit a century on debut.
He won back his place in the one-day side against England, but failed again with the bat; it was surprisingly his bowling that kept him in the team, after he took four wickets for 38 against England at Bulawayo
Bulawayo
Bulawayo is the second largest city in Zimbabwe after the capital Harare, with an estimated population in 2010 of 2,000,000. It is located in Matabeleland, 439 km southwest of Harare, and is now treated as a separate provincial area from Matabeleland...
and continued thereafter to bowl his flighted off-breaks usefully. After scoring 19 runs in five innings, two of them opening, he broke through with 52 not out at number six against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, followed by 37 in Pakistan.
Marillier continued to do reasonably well for the national side. In 2002 he "Marilliered" Zimbabwe to a famous win in India in an ODI with a 56* at the death, although this time he used the shot against Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble
Anil Kumble is a former Indian cricketer and captain of the Indian Test cricket team. He is a right-arm leg spin bowler and a right-hand batsman. He is currently the leading wicket-taker for India in both Test and One Day International matches...
. He made the side for the World Cup but did not do well. After the World Cup however he had an excellent tournament in Sharjah, taking wickets as well as scoring 100 against Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, his first international hundred, as an opener.
In England however Marillier had a bad form slump and lost his place, although his tight bowling in tandem with Ray Price
Ray Price (cricketer)
Raymond William Price is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He is the nephew of the renowned Zimbabwean golfer Nick Price....
was a key factor in Zimbabwe's only ODI win, over England at Bristol. He did not play for the national side again, with first Wishart then Barney Rogers
Barney Rogers
Barney Guy Rogers is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman with a solid technique and a good range of judiciously applied attacking shots. He also bowls occasional offspin....
preferred to him as opener. Just before the rebellion Marillier announced his retirement from cricket. However he has since return in action in domestic cricket.
Marillier's international stats do not do him justice really; he averages 31 in Tests with two fifties, although it has to be said both came against Bangladesh, and in ODIs his batting average is only 18 (but he can be a match winner on his day) and 41 with the ball, with 30 wickets. In first-class cricket Marillier averages 37 with 6 hundreds and 13 fifties. With the ball he averages 37 with 46 wickets. In Domestic One-day cricket his batting average is 25, 3 hundreds 9 fifties and 40 with the ball taking 56 wickets.
Marillier's cricketing heroes are, like so many Zimbabweans, the Flower brothers, Andy
Andy Flower
Andrew "Andy" Flower OBE is a former international cricketer for Zimbabwe and is currently the England coach.-Playing career:...
and Grant
Grant Flower
Grant William Flower is a Zimbabwean cricketer. He is rated among the best Zimbabwean cricketers in history for his handy left arm spin and fine batting skills. He was a fitness fanatic who spends hours in the gym, and was also regarded as a brilliant fielder who was usually seen in the gully...
. He rates Glenn McGrath as the most difficult opponent he has faced although he said that before he made a mockery of him in Australia! Marillier used to play field hockey
Field hockey
Field Hockey, or Hockey, is a team sport in which a team of players attempts to score goals by hitting, pushing or flicking a ball into an opposing team's goal using sticks...
for his school as well as tennis
Tennis
Tennis is a sport usually played between two players or between two teams of two players each . Each player uses a racket that is strung to strike a hollow rubber ball covered with felt over a net into the opponent's court. Tennis is an Olympic sport and is played at all levels of society at all...
but he does not really play any more. For relaxation Marillier enjoys a bit of fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
Douglas Marillier's last domestic commitment was for Zimbabwe A against Pakistan A in 2005. After that he did not play any official cricket. He is currently working in the Real Estate in Zimbabwe and also play some social cricket there. In 2009, he turned out for 'Red Lions' in the Zimbabwean Winter Premier Cricket League and it was believed that he was a player to return through franchise system. But after the introduction of franchise cricket in Zimbabwe, that does not seem to be the case for him along with another former Zimbabwean player Campbell MacMillan. But the cricket world will surely remember him for his 'Marillier Shot'.
Doug's elder brother Eian Marillier, a wicketkeeper, played a few first-class matches in Zimbabwe, although only for a short time. He is now involved in playing club cricket in UK.
Doug's younger brother Stephan James Marillier, currently plays for Southern Rocks in Zimbabwean franchise cricket.
External links
- http://www.brmtaylor.com/news-168.html
- http://www.cricinfo.com/Zimbabwe/content/story/416688.html
- http://www.cricinfo.com/Zimbabwe/content/player/55578.html