Ever wondered why Glenn McGrath was so difficult to playIJ He didn’t have the speed of Dale Steyn or Shoaib Akhtar, neither did he have the swing of Wasim Akram. He was just a tall bowler with upright action. Yet he was one of the toughest bowlers to face. Ask Sachin Tendulkar or Brian lara, two of the best batsmen during McGrath’s playing career, which pacer troubled them the most and his name would be near the top, if not at the top. After all he is most successful pacer in the history of Test cricket with 563 wickets. There is only one more pacer who has taken more than 500 wickets: Courtney Walsh (519).
So, what made him the bowler that he wasIJ “One was execution, I had very good control,” McGrath, who was here to promote a brand of wine, said on Tuesday. “My weapons were my control and my bounce. When you speak to guys like Sachin (Tendulkar) and Brian lara, they would rather face somebody who bowls around 150 and skids the ball, than somebody who bowls 130-140 and gets that bounce.
“I always felt that I could bowl to a plan. I had a plan to each batsman, I would set the field and even if the captain set the field I would be able to bowl to it. That’s I think what helped me. “And even in the shorter version, I had the back-up ball in mind. It’s about knowing your batsman and what they are wanting to do and then having a back-up ball or plan, he added.
McGrath is the director of the MRF Pace Foundation (MRFPF) and visits India three times a year. Before him, Dennis lillee, another former great pacer from Australia, held the position for 26 years. The MRFPF was established in 1987 to find good fast bowlers for the national team. But the Indian fans are still waiting for one McGrath or lillee coming out of the academy. The reasonIJ Even McGrath hasn’t been able to find the answer in 2 years at the helm of the MRFPF.
“...why there’ve been no bowlers who can bowl upto 150 plus, I am not sure,” McGrath said. “But if you look at the top of India, people are actually physically bigger and stronger. Maybe, looking for more fast bowlers from that region can be a good option. Because you look just across the border and they produce fast bowlers all the time. “It’s quite amazing, I don’t know whether genetics plays a role. If you have got a bowler, who is 6 feet four and above, strong, he is going to get that bounce which a guy who is under 6 foot is not going to get. So I think being taller does help but it’s not a pre-requisite, look at Dale Steyn he can still bowl fast and is the best in the world,” he added.