Zimbabwe Cricket Players
Douglas Marillier
Douglas Anthony Marillier (born June 24, 1978 in Harare) is a Zimbabwean cricketer.
He is a right hand batsman and a right arm offspin bowler. 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 "Ramp" or "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. He is generally referred to as Doug.
Doug 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 ICC Knockout Competition, but unfortunately the team had already been selected, so Doug 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 two 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'.
Now, whenever he is mentioned he's called an "Unorthodox" batsman and that shot is still in use, although it's very risky. Notable exponents of the "Marillier" shot include the New Zealand wicketkeeper Brendon McCullum, the England opener Andrew Strauss and the Australian captain Ricky Ponting
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.
Doug 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 36* 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 Doug had a bad form slump and lost his place, although his tight bowling in tandem withRay 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 Doug announced his retirement from cricket. However he has since return in action in domestic cricket.
Doug's international stats don't 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 1st Class cricket Doug 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.
- Full name : Douglas Anthony Marillier
- Born : April 24, 1978, Salisbury (now Harare)
- Batting style : Right-hand bat
- Bowling style : Right-arm offbreak
- Test debut : New Zealand v Zimbabwe at Wellington - Dec 26-30, 2000
- Last Test : Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe at Galle - Jan 12-15, 2002
- ODI debut : Zimbabwe v New Zealand at Bulawayo - Sep 30, 2000
- Last ODI : South Africa v Zimbabwe at Cardiff - Jul 5, 2003
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In
March 2004, in the 1st Innings of the 1st Test versus Pakistan
at Multan in Pakistan, Virender Sehwag became the first
Indian batsman to score a triple century. 
