Does Glenn McGrath get his due?

Even at the age of 35, no one doubts that Glenn McGrath is one of the world's leading fast bowlers, even if it is an age since he pushed the speedometer past 140 kmph. He may not be the fastest bowler but he is still one of the best, spearheading the Australian attack for a decade now.

Sometimes though, I feel that for all of his wonderful achievements, Glenn McGrath might be somewhat under appreciated, at least in Australia. To understand how much he's done, the joy of StatsGuru comes to our aid. If you look at the career summary for Glenn McGrath, it is pretty obvious- he has done everything that a bowler could do, and he's done it year in, year out, against all comers, in every part of the world. And he's still doing it. So far this summer, close to his 36th birthday, he's taken 16 wickets at 20.43

So why do I feel that Glenn McGrath might be under apprieciated? Well, for a start, Shane Warne has overshadowed his entire career. To the Australian cricket public, bowlers are the people's heroes, not the batsman, and Warne's dazzling persona, deeds and controversy have kept the spotlight firmly on him. Aesthetically, to watch Warne in operation is a visual feast for the spectator or the television viewer, his wiles, legbreaks, and cunning provide far more drama then McGrath's robotic accuracy.

Not that Glenn McGrath begrudges Warne his fame. It is impossible to tell looking in from the outside, but McGrath seems to be the ideal team man, rejoicing in the success of his collegues as much as his own. Despite the Golden Boots that McGrath sported to celebrate his 500th Test wicket, McGrath is at heart a modest man, not given to blowing his own trumpet. When talking to the media, although he is open about his bowling goals when asked, he seems more animated talking about his ever-improving batting feats.

Not the least of it might be that he's not a 'traditional' fast bowler. He has always been about line and length, getting it there and thereabouts outside off stump. It's noticeable how rarely he bowls the bouncer. He's never been express pace, usually hovering between 130 and 135 kmph, fast enough for his height to extract bounce on a good length, but not so fast that he loses control. Only in his sledging does he resemble the traditional stereotype of the Australian fast bowler, and even that seems to have faded with the passing of time.

But there is no doubt of his place in Australia's cricketing pantheon. He is part of the "Holy Trinity' of great Australian fast bowlers, together with Ray Lindwall and Dennis Lillee.

Ray Lindwall was the spearhead of the Australian attack from 1946 and he kept on going until he was 38, playing his last Test in India. He was Bradman's spearhead in the 1948 Invicibles tour, with a lovely action and mastery of swing and seam. He was way ahead of his time in terms of physical preparation, and if the Second World War had not delayed the start of his career, he might have taken quite a few more then 228 wickets at 23.03

Ray Lindwall was before my time, of course, so I never saw him play. But I am old enough to remember seeing Dennis Lillee, who was Australia's spearhead from 1971 to 1984. Alan McGilvray, who saw most of the Test careers of both men, said that he couldn't pick who out of the two was the greater bowler. Lillee was a ferocious competitor, who loved the limelight and the heat of the battle. Originally a tearaway quick, he moderated his pace somewhat after a crippling back injury nearly derailed his career. I remember him as a master of exploiting a batsman's weakness and he was particularly strong at extracting seam movement off the pitch.

McGrath himself grew up idolising Dennis Lillee, and has modestly said that Lillee was a better bowler then he was, but I doubt that. I'm not the only one; Peter Roebuck has also suggested that McGrath is, at the very least, right up with Dennis Lillee as a bowler.

Statistics don't tell the entire story, of course, but I would argue that this is an age of truly great batsmen all around the world, so to average less per wicket then Lillee in such an era speaks for itself. Yet while Glenn McGrath is a popular and respected member of this great Australian cricket team, I do feel that he is not given his due. We are not going to see his like again, and Australians will miss him when he is gone.