Aussie cricket legend Rod Marsh is in a critical condition and has been placed in a coma after suffering a major heart attack on Thursday, February 24.
Marsh had been in Bundaberg for the Bulls Masters charity cricket event when his heart reportedly stopped beating for a number of minutes before he was rushed to the hospital.
Marsh’s son, Paul, issued a statement on Sunday, February 27 regarding his father’s condition.
“He (Marsh) is currently in the fight of his life and remains in an induced coma in critical condition,” he wrote.
“At the moment this is a waiting game and we are unlikely to have any certainty for some time.”
“We know there is a lot of interest in Dad’s condition and our family has been overwhelmed by the messages of love and support from all around the world. We have listened to and read every one of them and we are incredibly grateful to everyone.
“We will provide further updates once we have them and, in the meantime, we ask media to respect our family’s privacy as we focus on helping Dad fight this battle.”
Paul also made special mention of the Bulls Masters officials John Glanville and Dave Hillier, who was travelling with Marsh at the time, who have been praised for their quick thinking which reportedly kept the cricket legend alive.
“Dad would not still be here without the bravery and quick thinking of Dave Hillier and John Glanville. We will be eternally grateful to both of them,” he wrote.
Bulls Masters boss Jimmy Maher told The Australian “John and Dave deserve so much credit”.
“The doctor said if they had waited for an ambulance he would not have made it,” he said.
“I could not believe it. Rod landed at 10.05 am and rang me from the car at about 10.30. He said he could not wait to have a beer with me.
“Then soon Dave rang me from the car and told me what had happened. It’s devastating.”
Marsh is famous for his incredible cricket career, representing Australia as a wicketkeeper in 96 Test matches and 92 One Day Internationals (ODIs) between 1970 and 1984, and secured a reputation as one of Australia’s most renowned cricket legends.