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A special feature by Rupal Banatwala
published on June 29th, 2005.
 Tall
and lanky. Accurate line and immaculate length, with a fair
amount of pace. A dose of verbal volleys. Bowling a nagging
off-stump line, he has made accuracy his forte. Can there be a
better way to describe Glenn McGrath? He does not rely on
sheer pace like Brett Lee or Shoaib Akhtar, but by bowling a
disciplined line and length he has made even the best of
batsmen commit folly.
Glenn McGrath made his debut in 1993 against
New Zealand at Perth. He came in as a replacement for Merv
Hughes. He did not have an outstanding start to his career but
the Australian selectors persisted with him and today he is on
the verge of breaking into the 500 wickets club! It would
not be an exaggeration to say that he is the
best fast bowler of the present era! However, his success over
the years has been defined by the way he plans the downfall of
the opposition batsmen. Targeting the best batsmen in the
opposition camp, he lets out a series of warnings and shatters
their confidence even before the series starts. His strength
lies in the way in which he can persistently bowl an
unyielding line and length and obtain a fair amount of pace
and bounce on even lifeless pitches. Add to that, he is a
miser when giving away runs. He has taken 499 wickets in just
109 matches at an average of 21.23 and economy rate of 2.49
runs per over.
He has already promised that he his going to make the most of
his, probably last Ashes tour. He has taken 68 wickets in 11
matches in England at an average of 18.27. Even at the age of
35 he is a force to reckon with. Andrew Strauss is already
under pressure for not becoming McGrath’s 500th wicket.
Earlier it was Mike Atherton, whom McGrath had made his bunny.
However, considering the England cricket team’s victorious
performances in the last season, the Australians will be
expecting a tough fight. Besides, once a sitting duck when it
comes to batting, McGrath has now honed his skills as a
batsman! He has now a half –century against his name i.e. when
he scored 61 runs against New Zealand in the 2004-2005 season.
He along with Jason Gillespie has already sounded a warning
for the Brits to take their batting seriously. In short, one
can conclude that Glenn McGrath is a complete team-man.
A negative aspect that has come out during
his cricketing career is his ill-temper, especially when the
opposition is on the top. He does not back off from a verbal
duel with the batsman, inviting the batsman into losing
concentration. However, things have taken an ugly turn when
the batsmen have given back as good as he gets. The incident
involving West Indies batsman, Ramnaresh Sarwan was one of
those that showed McGrath in bad light. But he has promised to
change himself on that front.
Pace, aggression and discipline are the qualities that make a
good fast bowler. Glenn McGrath, with his orthodox bowling
action, has shown all these qualities that has made him such a
successful bowler over the years. A complete team man, he is
the captain’s first choice. With the Ashes tour coming up and
given the fact that he relishes the English conditions, one
can safely bet that a match winning performance by him is
round the corner. Here’s wishing this magnificent fast bowler
All the Best for the upcoming Ashes tour and for all the
forthcoming matches. Let us wait for another spell of lethal
bowling by this amazing talent that has made Australian
cricket special!
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