Connie Marshall, wife of the late West Indies pace bowler, Malcolm Marshall, who, in 1999 lost his battle with colon cancer, has sent her best wishes to Yuvraj Singh. "When was it (Yuvraj's cancer illness) diagnosed? she asked over the phone from Barbados.u00a0 "Hope he (Yuvraj) recovers well in time and captains India one day," she said.


Yuvraj Singh

Bridgetown-born Malcolm Marshall died at the age of 41. Asked whether her husband would have survived had he got immediate treatment, Connie said, "I don't think so... I won't say that he would have survived. The disease is hard to diagnose at an early stage." It can be recalled that Yuvraj's father, Yograj recently said that his son's treatment was delayed.


Malcolm Marshall, the great West Indies cricketer.


Inset: Connie Marshall

"In 1999, during the World Cup (in England) it was revealed that my husband had colon cancer. He immediately left his coaching job to begin treatment, but that proved unsuccessful. Malcolm underwent surgery and the operation was thought to have been a success, but..."

Marshall married Connie on September 25, 1999, just six weeks before his death. At the time of his passing, Marshall weighed a little more than 25 kgs. The couple began their relationship in the mid-1980s and son Mali was born in 1993.

"Mali wrote a moving tribute which was read on his behalf by me at the funeral," Marshall's family friend, Dr Rudi Webster said from Grenada.u00a0 Last year, while delivering a lecture at the West Indies' Players' Association awards night, Webster brought up an example of belief which Marshall had in plenty even during his illness.

The golf game...
Here's what Dr Webster said: A couple of months before Malcolm Marshall died of cancer, Desmond Haynes and I played a golf game with him. He was extremely weak and was in great pain during the game.u00a0 He played poorly and Desmond started to tease him. On the 14th tee Malcolm told us that he would win the last five holes. We laughed at him and told him he was dreaming.

Suddenly, his swing changed and he went on to win the next four holes. A lucky chip-in by Desmond prevented him from winning the last hole. When I asked him how he turned his game around, he pointed to his head and said, "I believe in myself and in my game. In my mind, I saw myself winning those holes and once that happened, you were gone."