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MELBOURNE: Glenn McGrath broke the worst kept secret of recent times when he announced his retirement from all forms of cricket after the World Cup. Of course, it follows 48 hours after Shane Warne's decision to quit at the end of the fifth Test.

The hole in the Australian attack by next season — and more to the point when it comes to England in 2009 to defend the Ashes it has just won so decisively — will be vast. Can Australia fill it?

McGrath, who willingly indulged in a half hour press conference and would clearly have gone on longer had anyone thought of another question, was confident that bowlers like Stuart Clark, Shane Watson and Mitchell Johnson would fill the gap he had just created but added: "It is going to be a long time before we find someone to fill Warney's place."

Original plan

It appears that there was a low-key plan between McGrath and Warne to announce their retirements a week apart. The original intention was for Warne to say his piece ahead of the fourth Test on his home ground at Melbourne and for McGrath to follow seven days later by declaring his innings closed at Sydney where he played for New South Wales. "The best laid plans sometimes go astray," said McGrath with a smile.

There was nothing new in this press conference but it was different from two points of view. First, there were the careful, thoughtful and fulsome answers from McGrath, still the boy from upstate NSW with nothing to hide. He told how he had consulted his wife Jane, who is still fighting cancer, his children who were a bit disappointed that they would no longer be able to see their pals among the children of his teammates and his special friends in the team.

McGrath said he had "had a chat" with Ricky Ponting on the plane coming back from Perth and that he had decided to make the announcement earlier because "I have always been open and I did not want to be caught telling lies." Secondly, and many England cricketers ought to have been present to see the effect on the pressmen present, McGrath took each question seriously.

One girl reporter asked if he might miss the mental battle with batsmen and have to replace that by needling his son in the backyard. McGrath laughed as he did frequently; batsmen might be shocked to hear that; but here was a genuinely happy bowler, content with his decision.

"It is not the state of my body which feels as good as ever, nor Jane's health, nor my age, not winning back the Ashes," he summarised. "I want to fulfil my contract to the end of the season at a time when I feel I do not owe cricket in Australia anything."

Christmas gift

In fact cricket at the Melbourne Cricket Ground may have a Christmas gift for McGrath. As he was making his announcement concerns were growing that the pitch for the fourth Test would be bowlers' heaven; just the sort of pitch where a predatory bowler of the McGrath kind might go out on a high.

It would be good to watch as the hunting animal in McGrath made one last kill, took his number of victims from 555 wickets — at below 22 runs each which is in the same class as Trueman, Lillee and Ambrose, the emperors of pace he ranks alongside — to something nearer 570 and left a final mark.

With McGrath and Warne gone it will be safe to bat once again. The runs will flow more freely and the theme music from Jaws will not constantly ring in a batsman's helmet. More's the pity.

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