Following is a tribute to the late Malcolm Marshall who died at the Queen's Elizabeth Hospital in Bridgetown last week from West Indies cricket captain Brian Lara.

"I had my first encounter with Malcolm at the beginning of my first-class career in 1988 when Trinidad and Tobago was playing against Barbados."

"The first delivery I faced in the match was from Malcolm and of course his reputation with the ball preceded him. I was scared, my heart was pumping and I was out caught down the leg-side first ball."

"As he went past me with his hands in the air he stopped and touched me on the shoulder and said 'Tough luck!' That was the first time I had got close to him."

"Fortunately for me though, two years later on my debut tour with the West Indies, Malcolm was my roommate. Many a night we sat and talked about cricket and he never made me feel intimidated. I was inquisitive to find out more about the game through a champion's eye and he was very accommodating."

"Later on, I embarked on my leadership role in West Indies cricket with the benefit of Malcolm's full support as coach. He made my role as easy as possible, by doing his job in a very professional manner. We had immediate success against England but then we suffered the lowest point in our respective careers in South Africa."

"You might think that he would have had his lowest point during his playing career but as a cricketing genius on probably our greatest team in history, success was the order of the day."

"In fact, I know it hurt him not being able to physically change the course of events in South Africa. However he was not down-spirited and never gave up. Immediately after the dust settled he put together a plan to combat the Australians."

"The turn-around was a surprise to all, except him."

"It was therefore sad that during the World Cup his coaching career came to a premature end, preventing him from pursuing his dream of West Indies dominating the world again."

"Malcolm's dream is therefore an inspiration to me as we strive to bring our cricket back to the top."

"Malcolm Marshall gave his life to cricket in the West Indies as well as in Hampshire and Natal where he was a player and a coach. This commitment must have deprived his family of his time."

"Therefore it was a joy to see young Mali running through the dressing room to be with his dad since we recognized how precious this time must have been for a child whose dad had devoted his life to cricket."

"On a personal note, outside of cricket Malcolm and I shared a favourite past-time - that of golf. I am saddened by the fact that we will no longer be able to enjoy each other's company strolling down fairways around the world. During this time we were able to build on our already strong friendship in a very relaxed atmosphere."

On behalf of myself and the West Indies team I would like to extend sincerest condolences to Malcolm's wife, Connie, his children Mali and Shelly and the other members of his family."

Marshall will be buried on Saturday in Barbados following a morning session (10 a.m. Eastern Caribbean time) at the Sir Garfield Sobers gymnasium.

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RICHIE CALLS MARSHALL THE GREATEST WI ARTISTE

Richie Richardson, who captained Malcolm Marshall in his last international series when the 1992 World Cup was jointly held in Australia and New Zealand says the late West Indies fast bowler was probably the greatest artiste produced in the Caribbean.

"He is a great thinker, he knows the game, he was able to analyse every single batsman and I would like to say that I think he's probably the greatest artiste that we would have produced," said Richardson.

Richardson, speaking to reporters following the mid-morning funeral service for Marshall who was buried here yesterday, said he has very good memories of the legendary cricketer.

"I've always had a very good relationship with Malcolm. When I first joined the West Indies team, I roomed with him and he was very instrumental in helping me with my batting and things like that and I've always had the world of respect for him," said Richardson.

Richardson also recalled the feeling when Marshall retired from playing for the West Indies.

"It was sad to see him go but he wanted to move on and he's certainly done his part and I had very good memories of him," Richardson said.

"There are so many matches where he has single-handedly bowled teams out for the West Indies (but) my greatest memory is fielding in the slips.

"I never used to field in the slips but for some reason, I found myself in the slips and standing there next to Viv (Sir Vivian Richards), and Roger Harper and these guys, I was able to synchronise with Malcolm Marshall," recalled Richardson.

"I could see the way he was thinking. I could read him inside out and I was really impressed by the way he was able to work guys out and that is one of the reasons why most of my catches in the slips were taken off his bowling," Richardson noted.

"Certainly, apart from his exploits, successes, his sheer determination, hard work, belief in himself and his exemplary attitude of the field, he was always willing to talk to youngsters, anybody in general about the game and to help them as much as possible," Richardson revealed.

"He was always smiling, always willing to make a contribution," added Richardson.

Marshall, who died from colon cancer at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital here last Thursday, was laid to rest at the St Bartholomew's Anglican Church, near the Sir Grantley International Airport.

Several past and present West Indies Test cricketers, his Hampshire county teammates and players who played with him for Barbados in the regional competition, attended the nationally-recognised ecumenical service at the gymnasium of the Sir Garfield Sobers Complex.

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CROFT PAYS TRIBUTE TO 'GREATEST' FRIEND

Former West Indies fast bowler Colin Croft has concurred with the widely expressed view that his late teammate Malcolm Marshall was one of he game's greatest players ever.

In paying tribute to Marshall, who died in Barbados last Thursday, Croft said the West Indies and the entire cricket world has lost a stalwart.

"Even when one knows what destiny has in store for us as individuals, it is sometimes very difficult to be prepared for the actual event.

Three weekends ago, while in Dominica for a cricket game honouring that country's 21^st year of independence, Joel Garner, another former West Indian fast bowler, informed me and the rest of the West Indies "Masters" team that our great friend and teammate, Malcolm Marshall, had "taken a turn for the worse".

Even with that in mind, it was still a tremendous shock to hear that Marshall had succumbed, in his native Barbados, to the cancer of the colon which was diagnosed last may during the World Cup. Barbados, the West Indies and the entire cricketing world had lost a stalwart, one of the game's greatest players ever.

It was as if one of my relatives had died. I doubt that there is anyone anywhere in the cricket world, player or spectator, who has been touched by "Maco" who would have anything but good to say about him.

Friend and foe alike, from Pakistan's Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, to West Indian Andy Roberts and Michael Holding and England's David Gower and all others, respected him for his ability, all-out commitment and versatility in being a professional cricketer of the very highest order.

My really first knowledge of "Maco" was that he, aged 20, would be one of the replacement fast bowlers in the West Indies cricket team, captained by Alvin Kallicharran, on the 1978/1979 tour of India. Malcolm had been very successful in his first few games for Barbados. Holding, Roberts, Garner, Wayne Daniel and myself had opted to be a part of the west Indies team, captained by Clive Lloyd, for Kerry Packer's World Series cricket that year.

Malcolm actually came back into the "real" team for our victorious campaign for the 1979 World Cup in England but did not play any games. He understudied well. Malcolm combined all of the positive attributes of the "Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse" and simply became one of the best, if not indeed the best fast bowler in the world.

Initially, his run up was long, rhythmic and fluid, somewhat similar to that of Holding. Of course, as time, knowledge and experiences accumulated, he learned to use the shorter bustling run.

The quick hand action, though, remained, thus the pace was almost always there. From Roberts he took the guile and variety to get batsmen out. From Garner he took the great determination and "never-say-die" attitude. From me, if I could suggest it, he took aggression, something not many who do not know him well would have associated with Malcolm.

Like his favourite player, Sir Vivian Richards, Malcolm wanted to win at all costs.

However, as aggressive and determined as he was, and as complete and effective a fast bowler that he was, Malcolm always slithered in and smiled cunningly as he completed his deadly work, not unlike the King Cobra.

He took particular pride in his batting. Invariably, when playing for Barbados against Guyana in the regional competitions, he would greet me as he came in to bat with; "Crofty boy, you are bowling fast today. Today, I am going to lash you and that pace around the boundaries!!"

During his stint as captain of Natal, he was directly responsible for the selection, unearthing, if you will, of those young pups, Shaun Pollock and Jonty Rhodes, tow of the present stars of South Africa.

It is entirely feasible that Malcolm could have been as loved, if not more so, in both Hampshire and Durban as in Barbados and the rest of the West Indies.

As if to demonstrate his great love and knowledge of the game, which was already accepted by all of his peers, Malcolm went into coaching by firstly being qualified and certified and then experienced.

Unfortunately for him, he was not as successful a coach for the West Indies as might have been expected. It could well be that he was restricted by several sets of external stimuli. Whatever the cause, he always stuck to his guns.

He told me during the ill-fated West Indian tour of South Africa; "While coaching and technology are all good things, the only things that matter when a batsman crosses the boundary ropes on his way to the crease are ability, guts, determination and flexibility.

"If a batsman does not have at least three of those, he will fail, regardless of whatever coaching or technological devices he uses.

The world has lost one of the best cricketers to have played the game, one who played it in the spirit it was designed to be played, hard but fair, a gentleman in every way.

Marshall will be missed by the Caribbean and the rest of the cricketing world. His memory will live on forever.

As for me, I have lost a great friend and teammate. They seldom come any better than Malcolm Marshall. May he rest in peace, while his legacy lives on!

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Indian cricket fans were shocked and saddened by the news of he sudden death of Malcolm Marshall. On his two official visits to this country with West Indian teams led by Alvin Kallicharran in 1978-79 and Clive Lloyd five years later, Marshall became very popular with Indian crowds - if not with Indian batsmen! He terrorized them with his pace and had a bag-full of wickets on his second visit.

Marshall also left his mark while playing against India at home in 1983 and 1989, in the World Cup in 1983 and in numerous one-day internationals all around the world. It was against India in the second Test at Bangalore that Marshall made his debut in 1978-79. He was then barely 20 and had come over as a reserve fast bowler to Clarke, Philip and Holder in a West Indian team bereft of the Packer stars. Marshall's first wicket in Test cricket was that of Chetan Chauhan's. His next encounter with the Indians was at home early in 1983. By now he was an integral member of the famed and feared pace quartet, the other three being Holding, Roberts and Garner. In that five-Test series, he took 21 wickets. But even this capital show just about set the stage for one of his greatest performances on the tour of India in 1983-84.

It did not take long for Marshall to prove that he had superseded Roberts and Holding as the spearhead of the attack. In his opening spell of the series in the first Test at Kanpur, he took the wickets of Gavaskar, Gaekwad, Amarnath and Vengsarkar. That spell of 8-5-9-4 was ranked even by old-timers as the most ferocious pace they had seen. He dismissed Gavaskar with his second ball and then had Amarnath, then at the peak of his powers and rated as among the best players of pace, leg before also for a duck. He also dismissed Gavaskar, Gaekwad and Vengsarkar in the second innings besides picking up the wicket of Binny. The manner in which Gavaskar's bat was knocked from his hands as Marshall had him caught off an extra fast delivery not only demoralised the other Indian batsmen but also raised talk that the Indian batting maestro was "finished".

Incidentally, Marshall had started off by scoring a career-best 92, adding a record 130 runs for the eighth wicket with Greenidge.

The Kanpur Test haul of eight for 66 off 32 overs set the pattern for the rest of the series. Except when Gavaskar repeatedly hooked him while racing to his 29^th Test century at New Delhi, the Indian batsmen were plainly in discomfort against Marshall. His pace was fearsome and he achieved an awkward bounce even from seemingly docile Indian pitches which was disconcerting to the batsmen. He picked up wickets regularly in every Test, being particularly devastating at Calcutta when he hastened the innings victory which clinched the rubber for West Indies with six for 37 in the second innings and a match haul of nine wickets. Again he showed that his batting had improved by leaps and bounds when he hit 54 and put on 87 runs for the sixth wicket with Clive Lloyd after five wickets had fallen for 88.

Marshall finished the series with five for 72 in the only Indian innings in the final Test at Madras, including the wickets of Gaekwad and Vengsarkar with successive deliveries to have India two down for zero. His haul of 33 wickets equaled the West Indian record of wickets in a rubber, shared by Alf Valentine and Colin Croft. As if to prove that he had become a genuine all rounder, Marshall finished as high as fourth in the batting averages with 244 runs at 34.85, fractionally ahead of the great Viv Richards and well in front of Larry Gomes, Desmond Haynes and Gus Logie. It was against India that Marshall overtook Lance Gibbs's tally of 309 wickets to become the leading West Indies Test wicket-taker. This was at Bridgetown in the 2^nd Test in 1989. In the next Test at Port of Spain Marshall had match figures of eleven for 89, ensuring that the West Indies clinched the rubber.

At least in India, there will be at least one more memory of Marshall and this is as a batsman. West Indies were facing defeat at 76 for six in the face of India's 183 in the World Cup final in 1983. But the Indians encountered unexpected resistance from Dujon and Marshall who put on 43 runs for the seventh wicket. It was only after this partnership was broken that India's path to victory became clear.

Of course the Indian cricket fan knows too well Marshall's feats against other countries, notably England, whom he repeatedly routed. He was one cricketer whose career was followed with more than passing interest in India.

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Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board of Control president Alloy Lequay is among a host of cricket officials and players who have reacted with shock and sadness at the passing of Malcolm Marshall who succumbed to cancer last week.

Lequay said a void has been created in West Indies cricket.

"He was indeed one of the greatest fast bowlers of all time. He will be missed," said Lequay.

Rangy Nanan, a former WI off-spinner and current Trinidad and Tobago coach, said he was shocked speechless by the death of his great friend. Nanan said their relationship was cemented when he took a catch at leg gully off the Barbadian to help West Indies beat Pakistan in the Faisalabad test of 1981.

Augustine Logie, a former WI middle-order batsman now an accredited coach with the WICB, described Marshall as one of he greatest thinkers of the game.

"I had several tours with Marshall and he was indeed an inspiration to all. He was a great human being and one of the best fast bowlers in the world," said Logie.

"He was as good as they come," said former England batsman David Gower as fellow internationals paid tribute.

"Basically, he held sway from the early 80s. Throughout the decade he was the main man. He had a great ability not just to bowl quick but, what makes it worse for the batsman, the ability to do a lot with the ball."

West Indies cricket selectors were among those who paid tribute to the late, great fast-bowler. One of Test cricket's greatest pace bowlers, Marshall died in hospital in Barbados on Thursday at the age of 41. He had been suffering from colon cancer.

Chief selector Mike Findlay praised Marshall's bowling exploits, adding: "While those statistics have been the high-light of a most illustrious career, they fail to tell the full story of the dedication, commitment and strength of character of a man who loved and enjoyed his profession, and whose desire to excel at all times was inspired by a passionate appreciation of the great traditions of West Indies cricket."

"Cricket fans have lost a real personality," he said, speaking on behalf of fellow selectors Joel Garner and Joey Carew. The selectors are in Discovery Bay to watch the semi-finals and finals of the Red Stripe Bowl.

Pakistan captain Wasim Akram said: "Malcolm was one of the cleverest fast bowlers in cricket, and he was my fast bowling idol."

"He could swing the ball, move the ball. 'An intelligent bowler' sums it up nicely. He was hugely talented, naturally talented, whippy, wiry, strong," said David Gower.

"He enjoyed bowling very quickly (but) he didn't always bowl flat out when conditions didn't merit it. Even at say Old Trafford on a slow wicket he could get wickets when the ball wasn't doing much off the pitch.

Former Australian Test player Greg Matthews was a teammate of Marshall's when he played for Waverley in the Sydney club competition.

He recalled how during his first over for Waverley, Marshall roared for a catch behind and was stunned when the umpire gave the batsman not out.

"He finished the over and went down to fine leg and you could hear him complaining from there. They would have heard him on Bondi Beach," Matthews said.

Marshall also played for English county side Hampshire and Natal in South Africa.

Hampshire chairman Brian Ford described Marshall as "a lovely, lovely man in addition to being the terrific cricketer that we all know: I can see him on the balcony at Lords' in 1992 when we won the Benson and Hedges Cup beaming all over his face having finally won his cup-winning medal."