Glenn McGrath-more accurate than a bowling machine. A pace bowler from New South Wales who had the ability to pitch every delivery in the same spot. He had an excellent career from 1993 to 2007. He has a total number of 949 international wickets through all formats.
As a youngster, Glenn McGrath had thin legs and was given the nickname ‘Pigeon’ for that. Who knows that one day this thin man will become one of the most successful fast bowlers in the Australian cricket.
Glenn McGrath started his career in international cricket in 1993. He was part of Australia’s domination in the world cup hat-trick. Throughout McGrath’s career, from 1993 to 2007, he was famous for his line and length. He is the second-highest wicket-taker in total test wickets, after James Anderson.
McGrath was also involved in county cricket. He played for Worcestershire in 2000. He had an outstanding contribution by taking 80 wickets in only 14 first-class matches. Also Played for Middlesex in 2004, but that was not remarkable.
Fun Fact: In a match, McGrath not only took 8 wickets but also scored a half-century by scoring 55.
Who Is Glenn McGrath?
Glenn McGrath was born in New South Wales. From a very young age, he had great potential. Doug Walters stopped his talent. After playing only eight first-class matches for New South Wales Men’s Cricket Team, he was selected for the international test team.
His first match was against New Zealand. After two years, in1995, he had done a tremendous job against West Indies. This was the first time that Indies bounced back from Australia Men’s Cricket Team in Test Cricket. After this incident, Ricky Pointing said,
“I remember thinking Glenn’s decision to take on the West Indies bowlers sent out a positive message to the West Indies that the Australian side was really up for it. Ambrose, Walsh, Kenny Benjamin had never been treated like that before. It made the West Indies sit back and think.”
Glenn McGrath is not only known for his accuracy. He was an economy bowler. No other bowler has taken wickets in at a lower average than him. He is ranked 5th in the Test wicket-takers. He is also in the 7th in terms of ODI wickets.
Fun Fact: He holds the record of taking most wickets in the cricket world cup, which is 71.
The tremendous performance he showed was in the Ashes Series in 2005. He took the wicket of Marcus Trescothick, his 500th test wicket. He not only took 5 wickets in the first innings but also took 4 wickets in the second innings as well. This event led to Australia’s victory, and he was the man of the match.
However, he was remarkable and outstanding. But his injuries were his enemy. And that led England to win the 2005 ashes series.
In 2006-07, Australia hosted the Ashes. And it was a whitewash by winning 5-0 against England. After that, he has taken a break from international cricket.
In 2006, McGrath made a remarkable comeback in the ICC Champions Trophy. He took a six-wicket haul. The test was in Gabba. He took a total of 21 wickets with an average of 23.90. This was his last test match. He took a wicket in the last ball he bowled. This event was so emotional for him. He mentioned this in his book.
“There was an incredible sense of emotion and elation as I walked around the Sydney Cricket Ground with my team-mates, holding hands with my children, James and Holly. I didn’t feel the slightest sense of sadness about retiring. I knew I’d reached the end; my body told me that. And even more importantly, I’d realised that those special moments I was missing in the life and times of my family were too great … the moments had become weeks at a time, and I didn’t like it”
After that, the2007 world cup came, Australia has won the world cup for the fourth time and thrice in a row. McGarth was the leading wicket-taker, taking 26 wickets in this tournament. He was awarded the player of the tournament.
Fun Fact: ESPNCricinfo named him in the ‘Team of the Tournament’ for the 2007 world cup.
He also played in the IPL. Delhi DareDevils signed him in 2008, the first Indian Premier League. After playing 14 matches, he was the most economic bowler of the Daredevils. In 2009, he also played the Champions League Twenty20. In 2010, Mcgrath took retirement from playing cricket.
Fun Fact: He was named into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2013.
Glenn McGrath was successful and had a strategy that worked every time. He always targeted the best batter in every series. There is no such opposition who had great stats against him. He was regularly involved in sledging also.
Fun Fact: He was honored with Bradman Award in 2012.
After all of these, cricket fans will never forget him. There were two times he took 10 wicket haul. He is also the man, who scored the most duck, that is 35th time.
Batting Career:
Check out the stats, though it will not impact you.
| Format | Mat | Inns | NO | Runs | HS | Ave | BF | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
| Test | 124 | 138 | 51 | 641 | 61 | 7.36 | 1570 | 40.82 | 0 | 1 | 51 | 1 |
| ODI | 250 | 68 | 38 | 115 | 11 | 3.83 | 236 | 48.72 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| T20I | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 5.00 | 12 | 41.66 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Bowling Career:
Check out McGrath’s Excellent bowling stats.
| Format | Mat | Inns | Balls | Runs | Wkts | BBI | BBm | Econ | Ave | SR | 5w | 10w |
| Test | 124 | 243 | 39248 | 12186 | 563 | 8/24 | 10/27 | 2.49 | 21.64 | 51.9 | 29 | 3 |
| ODI | 250 | 248 | 12970 | 8391 | 381 | 7/15 | 7/15 | 3.88 | 22.02 | 34.0 | 7 | 0 |
| T20I | 2 | 2 | 48 | 79 | 5 | 3/31 | 3/31 | 9.87 | 15.80 | 9.6 | 0 | 0 |
Frequently Asked Question (FAQs):
There are a few questions that people tend to know. You can find these questions interesting and knowledgeable.
Ans: A pace bowler’s career is not long enough. But, he managed to do that for a long time. In 2009, he played for Delhi Daredevils. After resigning, he did not play a single match. And the franchise announced that his contract had left one more year. This led to his retirement.
Ans: Although he was one of the best fast bowlers of his time. But he was not famous for his fast delivery. His quickest ball was around 148kmph or 92mph. But the average was very decent, around 130kmph or 80mph.
Ans: He was an Australian Cricketer. He is the 7th highest wicket-taker in ODI and the 5th highest wicket-taker in Test Cricket. He is famous for his accuracy and economy bowling.
Conclusion:
However, there are a lot of outstanding achievements and stories. But, there is a sad part of his life that many people don’t know about. His wife, Jane Louise, died of breast cancer in 2008 after fighting for years. This was a devastating moment for McGrath.
After that, he married Sara Leonardi and is living a happy life.
After Jane was diagnosed with cancer, McGrath and Jane built a Foundation called McGrath Foundation. This is an organization for breast cancer and education.
Read Also:
