The Surfer

MacGill casting a hefty shadow

In the Sydney Morning Herald , Andrew Webster ponders whether after all those years in Shane Warne's shadow Stuart MacGill is now casting a somewhat larger shadow of his own.

Brydon Coverdale
Brydon Coverdale
25-Feb-2013
In the Sydney Morning Herald, Andrew Webster ponders whether after all those years in Shane Warne's shadow Stuart MacGill is now casting a somewhat larger shadow of his own.
As the eccentric leg-spinner nudged chicken skewers around a barbie and tipped expensive riesling down his throat at a sponsor's function in the mid-arvo sun, it was hard not to notice what some observers had murmured during the drawn Pura Cup match between NSW and Queensland. That MacGill was carrying more than the weight of expectation. "There is no doubt I am overweight," MacGill admitted to the Herald. "I don't know how far over I am. I just don't feel all that comfortable at the moment."
Meanwhile, in the Herald Sun, Jon Pierik rates MacGill and his rival for a Test spot, Brad Hogg.
And in the Age John Buchanan, who has a new book coming out, speaks to Martin Blake about his time as Australia’s coach.
Along the way, he dealt with the controversies and emotions that engulf modern cricket. He also dealt with the mavericks, notably Shane Warne, with whom he shared what appeared to be a mutual distaste. He says he stepped back from Warne after upsetting him by saying publicly in 2001 that he was overweight. "I feel I've always left the door open for him if he wanted to talk," Buchanan said.

Brydon Coverdale is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo. He tweets here