Marsh lived in Harare for three years as a child while his father, Geoff Marsh, was Zimbabwe’s head coach.
The experience left a lasting impression on him, so much so that he later admitted: “I actually wanted to play for Zimbabwe at one point.”
The Australia captain has fond memories of his time in Harare, including playing cricket at the Harare Sports Club and spending time with the Curran family.
Tom and Sam Curran later represented England, while Ben Curran is now part of Zimbabwe’s ODI squad.
Marsh also reunited with Farai ‘Happy’ Mapondera, who worked at the Marsh family home during their time in Zimbabwe. The pair shared an emotional embrace when they met again in Harare.
“It was a big part of my childhood,” Marsh said of his time with Happy. “I spent my days with him a lot of the time. I refused to eat in the house – I'd go and have dinner with him. He was a big part of my childhood.”
Zimbabwe captain Sikandar Raza even joked that Marsh was “practically a local”, a description that reflects the strong connection the Australian still has with the country.
Marsh also made his international breakthrough in Zimbabwe. In the 2014 ODI series, he struck 89 in Harare before following it up with an unbeaten 86, performances that helped put him in contention for Australia’s 2015 World Cup squad.
Reflecting on that tour, Marsh said: “I had the opportunity to bat three in a couple of those games, which was amazing. To be honest, it feels so long ago that it's hard to really even remember the tour. But I do know that obviously I had a couple of really good innings as a young kid, and that was a great squad to be a part of.”
Now, more than a decade later, Marsh returns to Zimbabwe as an Australian veteran and will reach the landmark of 100 ODIs in the country that played such an important role in his childhood and cricketing journey.
