Glenn McGrath

Glenn Donald McGrath (born 9 February 1970) is an Australian former international cricketer whose career spanned 14 years.

He was a fast-medium pace bowler and is considered one of the greatest bowlers of all time along with the title of most accurate pace bowler of all time and a leading contributor to Australia's Domination of world cricket from the mid-1990s to the late 2000s.

He moved to Sydney to play grade cricket for Sutherland and made his debut for NSW during the 1992–93 season.

McGrath capped his rapid rise in the next Australian summer with selection in the Test team after only eight first-class matches.

McGrath's Test debut was against New Zealand at Perth in 1993–1994.

In Australia's 1995 Test series victory McGrath took the approach of bouncing the West Indies team, including the bowlers, which had not happened before.

In McGrath's biography, Ricky Ponting is quoted as saying:"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, 'This Australian team is fair dinkum—they're really up for it.' Even if you aren't the murder boys of cricket, you can show little things to let the opposition know you are serious. It might be the way you warm up, how you dress to go to the ground. Perception can be enormous. If you can give off the right signals to (a) bluffing them or (b) showing them what you're all about. McGrath, at that stage of his career, showed them what he was all about. His body language and the way he looked at their batsman—the wry smile—it sent a signal to the batsman and his own team-mates that he knew what he was doing."

McGrath was a member of the Australian team that won three consecutive World Cup trophies in a row, winning the 1999 Cricket World Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup, and the 2007 Cricket World Cup.

McGrath played for Worcestershire in the 2000 English County Championship, proving both successful on the field and popular with the county's supporters.

In 14 first-class games he took 80 wickets at 13.21, including an outstanding innings return of 8–41 against Northamptonshire, as well as making his first-ever first-class half-century (55 against Nottinghamshire).

In the 2003 final, he took the winning wicket of Zaheer Khan.

He also played a few games for Middlesex in 2004; although accurate, he could manage only nine wickets in four first-class appearances for the county.

During the first Test at Lord's in the 2005 Ashes series McGrath became the fourth bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets with the dismissal of Marcus Trescothick.

This wicket was also the start of a productive spell of 5–2 that led to England being bowled out for 155.

McGrath took 4–29 in the second innings and was named man of the match in a comprehensive Australian victory.

McGrath trod on a cricket ball and injured his ankle the morning before the start of the second Test at Edgbaston and was unable to play in the match, in which England amassed 407 runs in one day against the McGrath-less bowling attack to win by two runs.

He was rushed back when not fully fit for the third Test at Old Trafford, where he earned another five-wicket haul in the second innings of a drawn game, batting in a last-wicket partnership with Brett Lee in the last hour of the Test to deny an English victory.

He then missed the fourth Test at Trent Bridge, which England won by three wickets, with an elbow injury.

McGrath returned for the final Test at The Oval but he and the rest of the Australian team were unable to force a result and the match was drawn, giving England the series win.

McGrath's injury problems are seen as a key factor in England regaining the Ashes, as their victories came in matches in which he was absent.

McGrath was also a member of the team that won the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy.

Known throughout his career for maintaining an accurate line and length, McGrath displayed a consistency that enabled him to be one of the most economical and successful fast bowlers of his time.

In terms of total career Test wickets taken by fast bowlers, McGrath is the third-most successful of all time behind James Anderson and Stuart Broad.

On the list of all Test bowlers, he is fifth, and no bowler has taken more wickets at a lower average.

He has also taken the seventh-highest number of one day international wickets (381) and holds the record for most wickets (71) in the Cricket World Cup.

McGrath announced his retirement from Test cricket on 23 December 2006, with his Test career coming to an end after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney in January 2007, while the 2007 World Cup, which marked the end of his one-day career, saw him win the man-of-the-tournament award for his outstanding bowling, which was instrumental in Australia winning the tournament.

McGrath later played for the Indian Premier League team of the Delhi DareDevils and was one of the competition's most economical bowlers during its first season.

McGrath is the director of MRF Pace Foundation, Chennai, replacing Dennis Lillee, who served for 25 years.

He currently serves as president of the McGrath Foundation, a breast cancer support and education charity he founded with his late first wife, Jane.

Australia hosted England in the 2006–07 Ashes series and regained the Ashes, beating England 5–0, only the second 5–0 series whitewash in Ashes history (the first time was by the Australian team during the 1920–1921 Ashes Series, and the later 2013–14 Ashes series).

Having taken a break from cricket since April 2006, McGrath used the 2006 ICC Champions Trophy to reclaim his spot in Australia's Test XI.

He took a six-wicket haul in his comeback innings in the first test at the Gabba to set the tone for the rest of the series, with Australia winning back the Ashes in a record-breaking 15 days of play.

McGrath took 21 wickets in the series at an average of 23.90, and scored 10 runs and took a catch in what would be his final test series.

In his biography McGrath wrote:

"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."

On 23 December 2006, McGrath announced his retirement from Tests.

McGrath was honoured during the seventh annual Bradman Awards in Sydney on 1 November 2012.

He was inducted into the ICC Hall of fame in January 2013.

McGrath was born in Dubbo to Beverly and Kevin McGrath.

He grew up in Narromine, New South Wales (NSW), where he first played cricket, and his potential was spotted by Doug Walters.