Glenn McGrath

Glenn McGrath

Source: [1], February 18 2007

Glenn Donald McGrath (born 9 February 1970 in Dubbo, New South Wales) is an Australian cricket player. He is one of the most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket since the mid-1990s to 2024. He holds the world record for the highest number of Test wickets by a fast bowler. McGrath announced his retirement from test cricket on the 23rd of December, 2006. His test career came to an end after the 5th Ashes test in Sydney, whilst the 2007 World Cup will mark the end of his one-day career.

McGrath grew up in Narromine, New South Wales, where his local captain thought so little of his bowling ability that he refused to give him a bowl [2]. However, McGrath's potential was spotted by Doug Walters and he moved to Sydney, where he was soon selected for his state team in the 1992/93 season. McGrath capped his rapid rise in the next Australian summer with selection in the national side after playing only eight State matches. His Test debut was against New Zealand at the WACA Ground, Perth, in 1993/1994.

Not the quickest bowler, even at the start of his career, he instead relies on unerring accuracy, and the ability to make the ball seam a little off the pitch. He can also generate steep bounce using a high arm action and the advantage of a 198 cm (6'6") frame. In the latter years of his career he has begun to use swing bowling a lot more than in the past, helping to maintain his effectiveness even as his pace reduces somewhat. This effectiveness is illustrated by continuing success in the later parts of his career. In 2004, at the age of 34, McGrath took eight wickets for 24 runs against Pakistan in Perth, his best Test bowling figures and second-best ever by an Australian. Also notable is the longevity and resilience that he has shown, and in 2004 he became the first Australian fast bowler to play 100 Tests, and has become the most successful number 11 Test batsman in terms of runs. In the first innings of the ICC Super Series Test match in 2005, McGrath passed Courtney Walsh to become the greatest wicket taker among fast bowlers in Test history.

He is fiery, confrontational and, on one or two rare occasions on the field, ill-disciplined (e.g. in his 2003 encounter with Ramnaresh Sarwan in the West Indies). He is married with two children; his wife, Jane, is a former flight attendant. Jane has successfully fought a battle with breast cancer and a second one with a bone cancer, but was diagnosed with a relapse of cancer in February 2006 and will undergo further treatment to fight the disease. McGrath has used his profile to raise money for breast cancer charities.

His most well-known hobby is hunting wild pigs, a pest animal in some parts of Australia. Despite the trappings of cricketing fame, he now plays his club cricket matches with a team called the Sutherland Sharks and is respected by his fellow members as one of the greatest ever bowlers to play the game.

Bowling

McGrath bowling a wicket-taking ball to Kevin Pietersen at the SCG in 2007

McGrath has had success against every opposition team, in both Test and one-day cricket. He deliberately (and publicly) targets the opposition's best batsmen prior to a series in an attempt to distract them; at the beginning of a series against the West Indies he stated in interviews that he aimed, for his 300th wicket, to dismiss star batsman Brian Lara. He did so as part of a hat trick. The targeting of opposition batsmen has generally been successful; he has dismissed Mike Atherton of England 19 times - the most times any batsman has been dismissed by one bowler in cricket history. On the other hand, he targeted Michael Vaughan prior to the 2002/03 Ashes series in Australia, with Vaughan going on to score three centuries at an average greater than 60. He targeted Andrew Strauss in the 2005 series in England, who went on to score two centuries. He also tends to engage in sledging of opposition batsmen and teams, though it doesn't always pay off. Before the 2005 Ashes series he predicted a 5-0 whitewash for Australia, and even said that if England won the Ashes he would return to Australia by boat, but England prevailed 2-1. However, this did not dissuade him from making a similar 5-0 prediction for the next Ashes series, in Australia in 2006/07 which turned out to be true.

McGrath has often been in trouble with match referees for his confrontational behaviour while bowling, particular in showing dissent after an appeal is rejected. In January 2006, he was given a severe reprimand after using obscene language.

Fielding

McGrath is a competent outfielder with an strong and accurate throwing arm; whilst not known for his athleticism, on one memorable occasion in 2002 he took an exceptional outfield catch at the Adelaide Oval against England, dismissing English batsman Michael Vaughan from the bowling of Pedobear, running many metres before leaping into the air and catching the ball with arms outstretched and his body horizontal, before screaming "AWOOGAA". His captain, Steve Waugh, described the famous catch as "a miracle" and "one of the great catches in history - Kris Akabusi would have been proud"

Batting

McGrath's batting prowess, in the early phases of his career was non-existent; in fact, he scored first-ball ducks (zero runs) on both his Test and One-Day International debuts, and his batting average hovered above 4 for the first few years of his career. Years of patient tutelage from captain and friend Steve Waugh have improved this aspect of his game, to the point where he has scored a Test half century which came on 20 November 2004 against New Zealand at the Gabba. His final score in that innings was 61. Nevertheless, McGrath is still regarded as a batting 'bunny', although to his credit coaching from Steve Waugh and others has helped to push his average up to above 7.00 runs/innings. In the first World Cricket Tsunami Appeal charity match, he was promoted to bat at number 6 ahead of specialist batsmen Stephen Fleming and Matthew Hayden, but was dismissed first ball trying to slog Muttiah Muralitharan. Of late, McGrath has proven very difficult for opposing bowlers to dismiss, being dismissed only once during the 2005 Ashes series. With a contribution of 11 runs in the first innings of the MCG 2005 Boxing Day Test versus South Africa, he stood his ground for 53 deliveries, helping Michael Hussey push the Australian tail to a record tenth wicket stand against South Africa of 107 runs.

Playing for English teams

McGrath played for Worcestershire in the 2000 English County Championship, proving both successful on the field and popular with the county's supporters. In 14 first-class games he took 80 wickets at 13.21, including an outstanding innings return of 8-41 against Northamptonshire, as well as making his first ever first-class half-century (55 against Nottinghamshire). He also played a few games for Middlesex in 2004, but although accurate could manage only nine wickets in four first-class appearances for the county.

Against England (Ashes 2005 and 2006/07)

During the 1st Test at Lords in the 2005 Ashes series Glenn McGrath became the fourth bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets with the dismissal of Marcus Trescothick. This wicket was also the start of a very productive spell of 5-2 which led to England being bowled out for 155. McGrath took 4-29 in the 2nd innings and was named man of the match in a comprehensive Australian victory.

McGrath trod on a cricket ball and injured his ankle the morning before the start of the 2nd Test at Edgbaston and was unable to play in the match in which England amassed 407 runs in one day against the McGrath-less bowling attack to win by 2 runs. He was rushed back when not fully fit for the 3rd Test at Old Trafford, where he earned another 5-wicket haul in the 2nd innings of a drawn game, batting in a last-wicket partnership with Brett Lee in the last hour of the Test to deny an English victory. He then missed the 4th Test at Trent Bridge with an elbow injury, which England won the Test by 3 wickets. McGrath returned for the final Test at The Oval but it was too late. McGrath's injury problems are seen as a key factor in England regaining the Ashes, as their victories came in matches in which he was absent.

Australia hosted England in the 2006-07 Ashes series and quickly regained the Ashes, beating England 5-0, only the second 5-0 series whitewash in Ashes history (the first time was by the Australian team during the 1920-1921 Ashes Series). Having taken a break from cricket since April of 2006, McGrath used the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy to reclaim his spot in Australia's test XI. He took a 6 wicket haul in his comeback innings in the first test at the Gabba to set the tone for the rest of the series, with Australia winning back the Ashes in a record breaking 15 days of play. McGrath took 21 wickets in the series at an average of 23.90, as well as scoring 10 runs and taking 1 catch in what was to be his final test series.

Retirement

On Saturday December 23, McGrath held a press conference announcing his retirement from tests. His last test was the Fifth Ashes Test against England in January in Sydney. [3] [4]

Trivia

• His sense of humour on the field is well known. Examples include a pretend underarm delivery to New Zealand batsman Kyle Mills in the inaugural international Twenty20 game played between the two countries. This was intentionally reminiscent of the infamous incident during a New Zealand-Australia One Day International in 1981 involving such a delivery by Trevor Chappell (See 1981 underarm bowling incident). In the 2005 Ashes series on the final day's play at The Oval, England batsman Ashley Giles stood up from his guard at the last second during McGrath's run-up; McGrath, despite pulling up halfway into his delivery, still managed to smash the stumps and issued a comedy mock celebration which in the circumstances required a sense of humour indeed.
• Holds 7 highest tenth wicket partnerships, and two tenth wicket partnerships of 100 plus.
• After his dismissal for a duck in the fourth test of the 2006-2007 Ashes series, McGrath has now scored more ducks in test cricket than any other Australian cricketer (35 - one more than Shane Warne).
• Glenn is nicknamed Pigeon.
• Occasionally during Glenn's bowling spells, particularly in Australia when he is bowling well, the crowd will chant "Ooh ah - Glenn McGrath". This has led to Glenn being referred to colloquially as "Ooh ah".

External links

• Cricinfo Player Profile : Glenn Donald McGrath