Daniel Marsh's first season as Tasmania's official captain resulted in a year of vintage run-making from the man who the previous summer had guided the state to its first Pura Cup title. The history-making triumph came at the end of 2006-07, Marsh's fourth year of de facto captaincy; he stepped aside only on the rare occasions when the nominal skipper Ricky Ponting was available. Marsh's own 2006-07 had been moderate and his 511 Pura Cup runs at 39.30 suggested that his best days were behind him. But he bounced back the following summer and struck 758 Pura Cup runs at 54.14 as well as collecting eight wickets, he managed 330 one-day runs at 41.25 and earned spots in the Australian Cricketers' Association all-star teams in both formats. Most significantly he ensured further on-field success for Tasmania, who collected their second domestic one-day title under his leadership. Importantly for Marsh, who was 34 when the season ended, he enjoyed an injury-free campaign. He missed most of 2005-06 with a dislocated shoulder and a torn calf almost ruled him out of the following summer's Pura Cup decider.

As the son of Rod Marsh, it is no surprise that Marsh is a combative and iron-willed cricketer. Almost as ruggedly built as his father, Marsh entered the interstate ranks as a 20-year-old and made steady improvement, particularly when he moved to Tasmania from South Australia prior to the 1996-97 season. An allrounder who mixes left-arm spin with versatile right-handed batting, Marsh is a powerful striker of the ball and can occupy the crease for long periods. He proved that ability during 1999-2000 when he notched three first-class centuries on the way to winning Tasmania's Player-of-the-Year award. Marsh's talents have also been seen on a wider stage, most notably when he collected Man-of-the-Match honours for the Prime Minister's XI against England in 1998-99. Before he sustained a fractured cheekbone halfway through the season, he was also a standout performer as Leicestershire's overseas professional in the English county competition in 2001. Marsh went on to prove himself a captain who would lead by example and his attacking half-century in the 2004-05 ING Cup final secured the victory.
Cricinfo staff September 2008

First-class Debut: South Australia v New South Wales at Adelaide, 1993/94

Western Australia Under-17s
Bradman Medal (Adelaide 'A' Grade) 1992/93 (playing for Sturt)
South Australia Under-19s
South Australia 1993/94 - 1995/96
Commonwealth Bank Cricket Academy 1994
Leicestershire 2001

Schools: Christ Church Grammar School, Perth

• Thrown in at the deep end (May 9, 2008)
  
• Veterans dominate in year of farewells (Mar 13, 2008)
  
• Katich crowned Pura Cup Player of the Year (Mar 13, 2008)
  
• Marsh guides Tasmania through Harris onslaught (Feb 10, 2008)
  
• Geeves helps Tigers set up a big lead (Jan 22, 2008)
  

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Mar 13, 2008 Members of the Australian Cricketers' Association all-star Pura Cup and FR Cup teams for 2007-08 © Getty Images

Mar 13, 2008 Members of the Australian Cricketers' Association all-star Pura Cup and FR Cup teams for 2007-08 © Getty Images

Mar 13, 2008 Daniel Marsh after being named captain of the All-star FR Cup team for 2007-08 © Getty Images

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