The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : A remarkable feat by McGrath

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 27, 2004

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Sport - Cricket

A remarkable feat by McGrath

Glenn McGrath reaching the milestone of 100 Tests is a positive reflection of Australian cricket system as a whole. Years of corridor bowling with economised action, winning matches with contribution from Shane Warne at the other end are the major factors that made this remarkable feat possible.

McGrath's longevity and greatness are reflected in the numerous wins the team has achieved. Such a serious cricketer he is that it seems his smiles are only reserved for the times when he gets a wicket. Line and length personified, Glenn McGrath has redefined the art of fast bowling. He dismissed batsmen with patience and discipline rather than with terror and intimidation, which is otherwise widely believed to be the key ingredients in fast bowling. The quest to become a tearaway fast bowler sometimes stops bowlers on the path of maturity quickly at the international level.

McGrath realised the importance of line and length in the early part of his career. He started from where McDermott left. It is often argued that bowling a good line and length at a reasonable pace can produce consistent results only on hard surfaces like in Australia and South Africa. But the effort is the same wherever one bowls. McGrath's impressive record on the sub-continent wickets suggests that good line and length is perhaps the only way to bowl in any part of the world.

Lot of pain, aches, sweat and hard work along with team success has culminated in McGrath reaching this landmark. McGrath is certainly the greatest fast bowler of this era.

Unfortunate changes

The four changes made in the Indian team did not come good, especially in the bowling department. Till now, the Indian attack was looking progressively dangerous in every game with Anil and Harbhajan spinning webs around the Australians. Along with the spin duo, Irfan Pathan and Zaheer Khan were also coming together effectively to form a formidable quartet.

But then, injuries have played havoc to disband the combination. The bowling department once again appears to be a bit disoriented. Zaheer and Anil made the best use of the first session with some good bowling. But just two bowlers cannot sustain the same heat for too long unless the other bowlers also chip in. Over use of Anil and Zaheer will drastically reduce their effectiveness.

By the end of the day, we all saw how our bowlers were treated disdainfully by the Australian batsmen. Although Murali Karthik dismissed the most dangerous Gilchrist and Shane Warne very early, Zaheer looked the best bowler in sight. The Indians sorely missed the services of Pathan and Harbhajan.

Much-hyped wicket

The much-hyped green wicket at Nagpur made very little impact to change the normal mindset of the captain winning the toss. Even Rahul Dravid said that he intended to bat first on this wicket. The Nagpur wicket is so placid that I can't recall any Test producing a result on this venue. The local association has also not done anything to change the nature of the wicket.

Damien Martyn came up with another classic hundred to show that he is very much comfortable on sub-continent wickets. A technically sound batsman, Martyn has realised that aggressive, correct shots have to be played to distort the rhythm of the spinners. Darren Lehmann, a dashing player, put on a good and quick partnership with him to change things in favour of the Australians. The 148-run partnership between the two put India out of gear from a very advantageous position. Clarke also looked very much at ease. The Indians might have had a smile on their faces by the end of the day, but anything above 350 in a Test match is indeed a good score.

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