Cooley says McGrath can play at 40

“With the fitness programs that are now in place and the research that has gone into fast bowling, the longevity of careers is going to take a hold,'' Cooley said. "You probably won't break into the team as early, unless you are a standout, but the maturity of the body is the big thing and how you look after it. Nowadays the fast bowlers are definitely looking after themselves a lot better.''

At the height of Shane Warne's remarkable climb as a cricketer, the game's marketers claimed a generation of budding bowlers would surely follow in his wake to produce a legacy of leg-spin. Few of them predicted that that the first acolyte to tread Warne's path would reach international cricket while the master was still plying his trade. Even less foresaw that the pupil would be bowling off-spin.