patriot Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 Never seen a more confident/arrogant cricketer since I started watching cricket. His arrogance totally justified. No batsman has ever been " bhari" on this champion bowler - Lara, SRT... the 2 of the greatest contemporary batsmen of his time have played good knocks against his side - but they play him out safely, taking on the " lesser" bowlers. Lara has been his bunny of sorts. SRT too has prefered to play him meekly. Started watching cricket in the late 90's, when there were still many great bowers ( Donald, Ambrose, Walsh, Donald, Waqar..etc) ...but no one comes close to matching the machine i.e GD Mcgrath. From all the footage that I've seen of great bowlers, no one is even close to the consistent control that Mcgrath has over line and length with the most disconcerting bounce. Don't know of any other cricketer who consistently raises his game against the opponents key players and invariably prizes them out in the big games - be it SRT or Lara. Amazingly, even in the 2005 Ashes that Aus lost - in both those games Mcgrath din't play because of injury. They din't lose a test he played. Aussies rate him as their greatest ever fast bowler i.e greater than Lillee. His test wickets in India have come at a better average ( 21.30 vs 24.88 ) and at a better strike rate ( 56.9 vs 59.4) than Kumble the great in India. If he din't play in the same side with other great bowlers he would have ended up with 700 wickets or so. Already is the highest wicket taking fast bowler in tests ( 560 + ). Has there been a greater fast bowler ? Link to comment
The Outsider Posted July 18, 2009 Share Posted July 18, 2009 I would pick Marshall and McGrath to open the bowling in an all time world XI - both were geniuses, not sure who I rank higher amongst the two though. Link to comment
patriot Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 The outsider, I hav'nt seen Marshall bowl , live. Was he as ruthless as Mcgrath in big games. Mcgrath is almost INVINCIBLE in big games. His record in World cups is something else. Link to comment
patriot Posted July 18, 2009 Author Share Posted July 18, 2009 GD Mcgrath in ODI finals: http://stats.cricinfo.com/ci/engine/player/6565.html?class=2;template=results;type=bowling 55 wickets in 27 final games @ 16.43 a piece. This guy is a cricketing god if at all there is one. His record in BIG games is unparalleled. Link to comment
Mamu Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 The outsider, I hav'nt seen Marshall bowl , live. Was he as ruthless as Mcgrath in big games. Mcgrath is almost INVINCIBLE in big games. His record in World cups is something else. NO -- he was far far more ruthless than McGrath. My Alltime bowlers in any World XI would be Marshall, Hadlee and McGrath (Though I have not watched Lillee in action -- and people say he was just as good) McGrath being great all the time was also due to the fact he enjoyed a far superior XI around him who gave him superb support -- which Hadlee did not enjoy. Ofcourse the same could be said about Marshall too -- but Marshall was from a different planet -- plain and simple Link to comment
Bradman99 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 I never got to see Marshall or a hell of a lot of players play, but of what I have seen McGrath is the best fast bowler. Keep in mind, I've only seen about the past 8-10 years. He's probably for me the greatest Australian fast bowler of all time, Warney our best spinner. I know there were some mighty good windies players back in the day, Curtley Amrbose was up there with the best wasnt he? Not many players can bowl well to Tendlukar or Lara, but McGrath, well he was always a match for them. He's also a really top bloke. Link to comment
jf1gp_1 Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 no doubt he was a great bowler but what was missing was the fear factor which a waqar or ambrose had Link to comment
patriot Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 no doubt he was a great bowler but what was missing was the fear factor which a waqar or ambrose had ..yeah because he was a silent killer. No earth shattering pace , no deadly bouncers that would threaten to physically harm you BUT...he made you play and made sure the WK and slips get enough catching practice in real matches and just when you thought you can leave his stuff slightly outside off stump, he gets one to seam into you - knocking your offstump or thudding to the pads. A pure genius. NO -- Marshall was far far more ruthless than McGrath. How ? Because he had a yard of extra pace ? How about Mcgrath's deadly bounce ? Mcgrath's awesome statistics as a test bowler in an era of absolutely flat tracks where dozens of batters average 50+ making him peerless and probably make him the greatest test match fast bowler of all time. Link to comment
Gambit Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 McGrath is a god. He's the best fast bowler that I have ever seen. My favourite was used to be Donald followed closely by Amby and Wasim. McGrath fairly or unfairly isn't a sentimental favourite for most fans.(I know you have responded to this before Mr.Wicket :D) because of his comparitively less flamboyant bowling. Watching Donald steam in with war paint was exhilarating, watching Wasim make the ball talk/sing/dance was mesmerising, watching Ambrose obliterate batsmen after batsmen was jaw dropping but watching McGrath wasn't as much fun. But that doesn't mean he wasn't as good as these three. He was better. He was the T1000 among fast bowlers. I don't think any cricketer has had as perfect a retirement as Pidge had. Ashes 5-0 followed by a flawless World Cup win where this 37 year old beanpole was Man of the Tournament. Link to comment
Dhondy Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 My favourites are remarkably similar to Gambo's. Unlike most of you, I have seen Marshall bowl in person- at an ODI in Jamshedpur. He was tremendous, and I wouldn't like to compare him with McGrath. They were different bowlers. Donald too. I could not tear myself away when he ran in. He had such a beautiful, fluid action, and an amazing brain. But for sheer mental strength, planning & execution with utter ruthlessness, McGrath simply has no match in the history of the game. I don't believe any batsman ever made him feel inadequate. He always felt he would get them. I miss him more than any other cricketer I have watched. Link to comment
Rajiv Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 No one tops Wasim in my eyes, while MCgrath kept the "bowl str8 and leave the rest" with superb precision, Wasim was a magician I have seen more of Mcgraah than Wasim but whatever I saw of Waz, it was class - I'd watch him bowl with the same intensity as I would watch Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj *Brushing aside Umpiring Decisions** if u know what I mean Link to comment
DomainK Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 No one tops Wasim in my eyes, while MCgrath kept the "bowl str8 and leave the rest" with superb precision, Wasim was a magician I have seen more of Mcgraah than Wasim but whatever I saw of Waz, it was class - I'd watch him bowl with the same intensity as I would watch Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj *Brushing aside Umpiring Decisions** if u know what I mean Besides, while both were great new ball bowlers, I think Wasim was more effective with the old ball. He could come up with brilliant spells with any kind of ball on any kind of surface. Link to comment
Dhondy Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Besides' date=' while both were great new ball bowlers, I think Wasim was more effective with the old ball. He could come up with brilliant spells with any kind of ball on any kind of surface.[/quote'] I can smash this falsitude into a 1000 pieces in a moment, but I'll wait for Patriot to do it because it's his thread. Link to comment
Rajiv Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Cmon Dhondy, your fans can't wait for thread maker - if you meant what you wrote above then you must know what you are talking about. I am sure you have some stuff compiled Link to comment
patriot Posted July 19, 2009 Author Share Posted July 19, 2009 No one tops Wasim in my eyes' date=' while MCgrath kept the [b']"bowl str8 and leave the rest" with superb precision, Wasim was a magician I have seen more of Mcgraah than Wasim but whatever I saw of Waz, it was class - I'd watch him bowl with the same intensity as I would watch Sachin, Sehwag and Yuvraj *Brushing aside Umpiring Decisions** if u know what I mean I think that's incorrect and a discredit to Mcgrath. There are dozens of bowlers who bowl pretty straight as well and have tried to copy him. Mcgrath is a pure genius in how he has the ability to marginally vary his line (to set up the batsman) with the same impeccable length. I've noticed Jacob Oram ( who is even taller than Mcgrath ) tries to bowl like Mcgrath getting very close to those stumps - what separates Mcgrath from the rest is the length he bowls with variations in line and the annoying bounce he gets from that length. Glenn Mcgrath would be the cricketer I would love to be born as, if given a wish. Link to comment
Rajiv Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 My friend McGrath relies on that principle and his biggest skill is that he does it every ball. You think the concept is easy, its not and that's why no one can copy it. Link to comment
Mr. Wicket Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 McGrath is a god. He's the best fast bowler that I have ever seen. My favourite was used to be Donald followed closely by Amby and Wasim. McGrath fairly or unfairly isn't a sentimental favourite for most fans.(I know you have responded to this before Mr.Wicket :D) because of his comparitively less flamboyant bowling. Watching Donald steam in with war paint was exhilarating, watching Wasim make the ball talk/sing/dance was mesmerising, watching Ambrose obliterate batsmen after batsmen was jaw dropping but watching McGrath wasn't as much fun. But that doesn't mean he wasn't as good as these three. He was better. He was the T1000 among fast bowlers. I don't think any cricketer has had as perfect a retirement as Pidge had. Ashes 5-0 followed by a flawless World Cup win where this 37 year old beanpole was Man of the Tournament. Don't forget that to put the icing on the cake, McGrath also PREDICTED ahead of time that they would win the Ashes five-nil and would win the World Cup undefeated. McGrath was a god among quick bowlers. Heck, a god among bowlers. :hail: Link to comment
DomainK Posted July 19, 2009 Share Posted July 19, 2009 Don't forget that to put the icing on the cake, McGrath also PREDICTED ahead of time that they would win the Ashes five-nil and would win the World Cup undefeated. McGrath was a god among quick bowlers. Heck, a god among bowlers. :hail: C'mon....Aussies have this habit of predicting such things before tournaments. Keep predicting always and you will get it right once in a while. Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now