Will McGrath break England hearts again?

If England are to win the Ashes for the first time in 18 years, then they will have to find a way to cope with one of the best opening bowlers of his generation. Like a fine wine, Glenn McGrath is getting better with age and even at 35, he looks to be hitting top form. Unfortunately for England, there's nothing he likes more than to get one over on the old enemy.

Though not blessed with the pace of the likes of Curtly Ambrose or the ability to swing the ball of Wasim Akram, McGrath, at his best, is simply impossible to get away, his height causing problems and his unerring accuracy never giving batsmen space to breathe.

McGrath needs just one more victim for 500 wickets in Test matches, and his 499 have come at the miserly average of 21.22. Anyone hoping that he would be less effective after a year off to cure ankle problems will be disappointed - in his last 20 matches, he's taken 83 wickets at less than 21.

For all England's improvement over the past two years, McGrath must be licking his lips at the prospect of knocking over more England batsmen. The top wicket-taker in each of the past two tours, his average against England is even better, at 20.03. On responsive pitches and in conditions that suit him down to the ground, his strike-rate also improves, with 117 wickets in 22 Tests. In England, it's incredible, with 68 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of just 18.

Like his team-mate Shane Warne - the other main destroyer of England hopes over the past decade - McGrath has a superb record against England. In his 22 matches, McGrath has been a winner in 16 of them, with just four defeats. In 1997, a six-Test series, he took 36 wickets at 19.47, while last time out, in 2001, he managed 32 wickets at 16.93.

When it comes to individiual grounds, Lord's - venue for the first Test - would appear to be McGrath's favourite. In 1997, having lost the series opener at Edgbaston, McGrath led the Australia fightback with 8-38 at Lord's. In his two visits there he's taken 17 wickets at 12.76. In contrast, Edgbaston, not Australia's favourite venue in recent times, McGrath has taken just six wickets at 41.66. For the record, at Old Trafford, he's taken seven at 12.28 in one Test, at Trent Bridge his two Tests have yielded 12 wickets at 15.58 while at the Oval, he's taken 14 at 15.64.

The classic tail-ender
Now, his batting. For years, McGrath has been known as an old-fashioned No 11 who may as well have held the bat the other way round for all the good it would have done him. However, after years of ribbing, he has worked really hard and while still possessing an average of just 7, he's averaged 12 over his past 20 matches, helped hugely by his maiden Test fifty, a swashbuckling 61 against New Zealand last year. England don't have much to fear from him with the bat, but he may frustrate them a little more than before.

The bookies are sure to put up some special markets on who will be McGrath's 500th Test victim and obviously the openers, Andy Strauss and Marcus Trescothick, will be favourites. McGrath has snaffled Trescothick four times, and since he's already announced that he's targeting the left-hander, it would not be too much of a surprise if he makes good on his threat.

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