Marshall made his Test debut in December 1978 against India at the Karnataka State Cricket Association Stadium, Bangalore.[n 2][12] His first five-wicket haul came in March 1983 against the same team at the Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain; he took 5 wickets for 37 runs.[13] In December 1984, against Australia at the Adelaide Oval, he took a five-wicket haul in both innings of a Test match for the first time.[14] He repeated this feat once more in his career, against India at the Queen's Park Oval in April 1989.[15] Marshall's career-best bowling figures for an innings were 7 wickets for 22 runs against England at Old Trafford, Manchester, in June 1988.[16] He took 9 wickets for 41 runs in the match; West Indies won the match by an innings and 156 runs, and he was awarded man of the match for his performance.[17] Marshall was most successful against Australia taking seven five-wicket hauls.[16] He took ten or more wickets in a match on four occasions.[18]
Marshall made his One Day International (ODI) debut against England at Headingley, Leeds, during the 1980 Prudential Trophy.[19] He never took a five-wicket haul in ODIs; his career-best figures for an innings were 4 wickets for 18 runs against Australia in 1991, a match West Indies lost at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.[20][21] As of 2013, Marshall is sixteenth overall among all-time combined five-wicket haul takers.[n 3]