Glenn McGrath – One Of Australia’s Greatest Fast Bowlers Of All-Time

Glenn McGrath would go down as one of the greatest Australian bowlers of all time. He made his test debut in November 1993 and then in ODI’s in December 1993, all on home soil. McGrath played 14 years of international cricket in all forms of cricket.

He retired from cricket in 2007, after he played his final ODI match on the 28th April against Sri Lanka. Glenn McGrath was a hard bowler to face due to his consistency to always get his line and length right.

Yes, he was not a super-fast bowler, but he was one of the most frustrating Australian bowlers to face. As he would just wear the batsman down bowling outside off stump.

Glenn Mcgrath will go down as one of the all-time best bowlers in test matches and ODI's — BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA: Australian paceman Glenn McGrath (C) is congratulated by teammates Simon Katich (L) and Michael Hussey (R) after dismissing West Indian opener Chris Gayle on the second day of the first test match at the Gabba, in Brisbane, 04 November 2005. Australia scored 435 in their first innings and in reply, West Indies is currently 76-2. AFP PHOTO/William WEST (Photo credit should read WILLIAM WEST/AFP via Getty Images)

For a batsman, it was always a test when they came up against McGrath who was incredibly accurate as a bowler. McGrath’s accuracy made it difficult for a batsman to score a single run. He was an amazing right-arm fast-medium seam bowler. Even when the batsman hit him for a boundary or a six, McGrath believed it was his bad bowling, not because the batsman was in good knick.

Always Striving For Perfection

Glenn McGrath was a perfectionist and he never liked to bowl a bad ball. He would always sledge himself more than the opposition players.

McGrath had the whole package as a world-class athlete, he had the physical, mental, knowledge and attitude to work hard. With these characteristics, you can understand why he was such a difficult bowler to read and play against.

Also, Read – Top 5 Most Wickets In Test Matches For Australia

Australia’s Glenn McGrath bowls England’s Andrew Flintoff for 0 runs during the 1st Ashes Test match at Lord’s in London on the 21st of July 2005. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images)

Especially in test cricket, this is what made him a legendary test bowler. His best performance in a test match came against Pakistan at the WACA, Perth in 2004, where he secured 8/24.

McGrath was a remarkable test bowler, notching up five wickets in an innings 29 times. Also, he boasted a bowling average of 21.64 from his 124 test matches.

In test cricket, McGrath claimed 563 wickets and became the fifth-greatest test bowler leader surpassing West Indian Courtney Walsh who had 519 wickets.

McGrath’s best ODI bowling figures of 7/15 was against Namibia in 2004 at the North West Cricket Stadium, Potchefstroom. His ODI bowling average was 22.02 from his 250 matches.

In addition, McGrath took 381 ODI wickets and today he sits in the record books as the seventh-best leading ODI bowler in cricket history.

The legacy of Glenn McGrath to Australian Cricket

Glenn McGrath was extremely fit and he had a simple bowling technique with a high wrist action and lengthy follow through. These reasons explain why he was able to have a long and successful first-class cricket career. When McGrath was playing, many Australians would watch him on the stands and at home, because they loved to watch a great in action.

NEW ZEALAND – FEBRUARY 19: Australia’s Brett Lee, left jumps in the arms of Glenn McGrath after defeating New Zealand in the international one day cricket match at Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand, Saturday, February 19, 2005. Australia won by 10 runs. (Photo by Ross Setford/Getty Images)

His legacy would be, he was the most accurate Australian bowler. And as a bowler, batsmen were unable to read his bowling well making it hard for them to score. McGrath had success over all the nations he played against, because of his ability to bowl outside off stump with huge seam. So, this would be the legacy that Glenn McGrath has left cricket and what he will be remembered for now and in years to come.

McGrath was one of the reasons why Australia was an unstoppable force in the mid-1990s to early 2000s. There will probably be no bowler who could compare to Glenn McGrath and that is because the man was an incredibly unique bowler.

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