Dave Marshall, cricket's future

Roseau - If there is any current-day cricketer in Barbados with as much commitment, resolve and enthusiasm for the sport as Dave Marshall that person is yet to be discovered.

For the ebullient leg-spinner, however, the road to success has been a long, rough one with several uncertain twists and turns.

His has been a chequered career. In and out, in and out was the name of the game since he made the Barbados team as a 20-year-old in 1993.

Seven seasons later, Marshall had just 15 first-class matches against his name - his appearances limited mainly by the selectors' preference for sticking to their trusted fast bowlers and the reliable left-arm spinner Winston Reid.

The disappointments were several.

When the West Indies Cricket Board contracted Pakistani Intikhab Alam for a leg-spinners' clinic in 1997, he was ignored in spite of grabbing a six-wicket haul against the touring Indians a few months earlier.

When he pursued his first professional contract in England in 1998, he was turned back by authorities because his papers were not in order.

The setbacks did not daunt the man from My Lord's Hill though.

'I believe in not giving up. I've always believed that every disappointment was a blessing,' Marshall said.

After years of persistence, he is reaping rewards in the current Busta Cup in which he has hauled in 22 wickets in four matches.

Among those were 11 scalps in Barbados' vital victory over the Windward Islands on Saturday.

Marshall rated it as his 'best performance in any competition'.

Those wickets came after a disappointing run in the previous two matches, with many critics believing he should have been asked to make way for promising 18-year-old left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn.

Unflustered, Marshall brushed aside the negative remarks.

'I always knew that I would bounce back. There is just a bit of pressure playing at home sometimes because the Barbadian public expect a high quality of cricket,' he said. 'You cannot fault them for that.

'If there's a situation where things are not going well, you just need to stay focused and work on consistency. I went in the nets and that is what I did.'

His success was also a result of hard work and dedication.

'I have been working on my game and right now I'm bowling fairly well. I'm just hoping that Barbados can go as far as possible in the competition.'

As for Benn, Marshall believes an opportunity will come the way of his Big B Spartan clubmate.

'I believe that Benn's turn will eventually come, but at the present moment, the selectors felt that it was my turn after long seasons under Winston Reid's wings. They have faith in me and I am trying to justify the faith they put in me.'

At age 27, Marshall is still relatively young. Does he have his sights set on a higher level'

'If I said no, I'd be telling lies, but at the present moment I am just concentrating on collecting as many wickets as possible,' he said.

'My aim for the season was 25 wickets. Anything over that would be a bonus. I am just taking things in stride and I will see what the future holds.'

Barbados captain Philo Wallace and manager Tony Howard were impressed by Marshall's performance against the Windwards. Here's what they had to say:

'It's the best I've seen him bowl. Dave bowled well, with good control on a flat wicket. 'It just goes to show that once a guy has been given the opportunity to perform, he'll perform once he has the confidence, which Dave has all the time.' - Philo Wallace

'Dave has been bowling better and better with each match. It's good to see him doing that. 'He's a fighter and he comes on with work. I'm glad to see that happening.' - Tony Howard