Glenn McGrath’s place in the pantheon of pace bowling legends is at the acme. Yet, this phenomenal Australian too has been fascinated and inspired by some exceptional fast bowlers. The Australian star said, “There is no secret to taking wickets. It’s all about doing the basics, and doing them very well and having that control. But don’t cut your pace for control.”
In an exclusive conversation with The Hindu , McGrath picked his five favourite pacemen.
DENNIS LILLEE: My hero while growing up was Dennis. He was the whole package, very charismatic. A hostile fast bowler, a showman. Would never back down. He could bowl all day and the way he came back after a serious back-injury to bowl fast again reflected his commitment. His work ethic was as good as anyone’s. He trained and worked hard. I remember that pulsating run-up, the head band, him flicking the sweat off, fingers across the ball, that classical side-on action, the gold chain flashing, it was a great sight. He would set the batsmen up, had a variety of wicket-taking deliveries. Very aggressive.
WASIM AKRAM: Skill-wise I don’t think there has been a better fast bowler. What could he not do with the ball! He swung it both ways, bowled the leg-cutter and the off-cutter. A left-armer he could bowl with the same effectiveness both over and round the wicket. Off a short run, he just powered through to the crease. An exceptional bowler, he could do anything, swing the new ball, reverse the old. And he could generate so much pace off a few yards. Had a nasty short ball.
CURTLY AMBROSE: Amby made it look so easy. He was so loose-limbed and so tall. He hit the deck, got bounce on any wicket. And had another three or four gears he could go up if you fired him up or got him angry. Just that bounce off a length, that would be so hard for the batsmen. His control was amazing. I admired him, no doubt about that. We were similar, but he probably did it a lot easier. He had a better wrist, just came over the top, just got that bounce. He could bowl really quick if he wanted to, he was quality.
ALLAN DONALD: Incredible action. His speed shook batsmen. ‘White Lighting’ they called him. He was among the quickest I have seen. I don’t think I have seen a bowler who has had as good a follow through as he. That was one of the main reasons he generated so much speed. That was something pretty special. A smart bowler, he got the most out of his action and just used his pace. When you are talking about serious speeds, AD was up there.
JASON GILLESPIE: Perhaps, I am biased towards Jason since I have bowled so much with him. He was of similar style to me but was quicker. Half the time when I bowled, the batsmen had the time to adjust and they would nick it. Jason was faster, so they did not have time to adjust and would play and miss. He could create the pressure, bowl in really good areas and that helped me. It’s about bowling in partnerships. If you can keep it tight from both ends, not giving away runs and making it as hard as possible, then things are going to happen. We formed a great partnership.
