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- Karthik Narayan

If King Midas had ever played cricket, I'm sure he would have loved to be a bowler. Just be stingy with his overs and give the least runs and get maximum wickets in his usual greedy self. We do have a person that fits that bill, as u wonder the name of Glenn McGrath just cant pass your mind.

Drafted into the Aussie team in 1993 as a tall lanky paceman, this legend has become the mantle of the Aussie Pace Battery. Totally coming good in his first series itself against the Caribbeans, he cemented his place in a team, which has more Hall of Fame Fast bowlers than any other team in this game. The great Lillee, Thomson, McDermott, Merv Hughes, Bruce Reid all awe inspiring names. McGrath has become the game’s greatest new ball bowler of all time, for all the money in this world.  

Like just King Midas, McGrath is gifted with the Golden Touch of getting wickets and the manner in which he meticulously gets them is something really amazing! The Wealth of a bowler is not the wickets, wickets come and go. But the story that the batsman tells of a bowler is his real wealth. He has most certainly captured the minds of one and all. For me, he simply is the wealthiest bowler in the history of the Sport.

Throughout most of his career, be it ODIs or tests, he has never been any less stingier. Maybe the odd occasion when he was hit. Like the World Cup 1999, in the league game against Pakistan, Moin Khan, in a very unorthodox dispatched him for plenty of runs in a dry spell. 

There’s never really a dry spell for “the Pigeon”. He has this uncanny knack of bowling balls in the “corridor of uncertainty” with such precision over a spell. He is a bowling machine. And all this has not come without so many hours of practice in the nets and sheer determination to excel. When one says new ball bowler, invariably the first name that comes to mind is this guy! 

In a game dubbed as the Batsman’s game, as it has concept suited to the batsman more than bowlers such as the Fielding Restrictions, this bowler has stood out. Whenever one sees him bowl, it is so refreshing to watch, and he has this ability to bowl so good that one rarely sees a boundary off him! Maybe the odd single, but six on six just outside the off stump is some phenomenon!

There are so many things about this wily paceman that I can talk about, but I don’t have all day, and u don’t have all day! So lets talk about two standout performances of McGrath.

Who would forget his miserly string of bowling spells in the series against WI in the Home series! He bowled more overs than the runs he gave away and wickets kept falling under his name! And his economy rate was mind boggling, something bowlers dream of. Astounding pieces of bowling, at 17 runs per wicket, one could not help but wonder if this bowler would ever give away runs at all… runs were so hard to score off this precision machine like bowler that the West Indians just gave up!

The one that stands out for all of us is the career best and first 10 wicket haul for this fine bowler is the 10/27 in the First test at the Gabba, Brisbane!  That is the stingiest and most wonderful string of bowling. 

It is surprising to see that England happens to be his favorite opposition! He has played 22 of the 97 in all against England (that’s the Ashes Series), and he’s has got a quarter of his test wickets (117). One standout performance for me was the 1997 Ashes Series, the Second Test at Lord’s. He totally demolished, demoralized, totally wiped out the entire England team. In a spell of a score overs (20.3 to be exact) his miserly run was evident (38 runs) and that devastating spell had 8 of the English names in the scorecard all for this King!

In the second innings though, the English scrambled out a plan and he could manage only 1 wicket, but then, he had stapled the English and sealed them for good! Such is the class of the greats!

No other bowler can be compared to McGrath. No other bowler has single-handedly taken the opposition for a ride of their lives. For me McGrath is the most respected and most sought after bowler. He is the Meanest Bowling Machinery, a piece of machinery that has not depreciated at any point of time.

It is very sad that he has had a few personal problems (his wife is diagnosed with cancer!) and he himself has had some ankle problems. But at 34, there is still light at the end of the tunnel. He may be in the evening of his career, but its definitely not time for Good Night! And with his renowned stinginess and greed, he can only go further.

Cricketfundas.com salutes this Legend and prays he goes on to bring unending joy into all our hearts!

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