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Did Glenn McGrath have the greatest cricketing career?

ManFan

ManFan

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Glenn McGrath. The man ran up, bowed the same line and length and eventually bored the batsmen into playing. Here are his extraordinary achievements in cricket:
1) Most wickets by a fast bowler in Tests
2) Helped his team to Three World Cups and Four out of Four Finals
3) Lost only Two Test series: India in 2001 and England in 2005
4) 300+ wickets in ODI
5) Part of two Australian teams to win a record 16 consecutive Tests
6) Finished his ODI career with a wicket of his last ball
7) Finished his last World Cup as leading wicket-taker with 27 scalps
8) Finished his Test career with a wicket of his last ball
9) Averaged Less than 21 in Tests and 22 in ODI
10) Took Brian Lara's wicket a record 18 Times, Atherton's wicket a record 19 Times, Sachin's wicket 13 Times.
So my question is, did Glenn McGrath have the Perfect Cricketing Career?
 
Greatest achievements surely, he was the most important part of the team that won 3 world cups, that record will never be matched.
 
All formats combined definitely for mine. Did well against everyone, everywhere, against all the top batsmen and in both formats. Also turned up when it really mattered. Can't get any better than that.
 
The 2005 series loss only happened cause he sprained his ankle and missed a couple of tests.
 
Yes. One of the rare cricketers who's stats stand up to scrutiny no matter how many ways you slice and dice it. There might have been more exciting bowlers but he surely is a contender for greatest fast bowler of all time.
 
Definitely up there as one of the most flawless careers ever, even though some of it is down to him playing for a juggernaut team.

His greatest quality was targeting the best batsman of the opposing team (often in pre match press conferences) and then backing it up on the field. If I remember correctly, he predicted he would get Jimmy Adams and Brian Lara as his 299th and 300 th test wickets. And it actually happened.
 
Yeah forgot to add he predicted Lara would be his 300th wicket and got a hat-trick too! He also predicted Trescothick would be his 500th.
 
He always had champion bowler Warne to play with and champion batsmen to score huge and put opponents under pressure. Great bowler but not magical.
 
Certainly a very strong contender for the honor. The man's career and his performances in both the formats have absolutely no flaws.
 
Great career but had the luxury of several World class team mates which meant he always bowled with zero pressure and full freedom mostly had over par or par scores to defend and bowled with the likes of Lee Gillespie Tait Bichel Kasprowicz Fleming Clark Bracken etc all of them are over 7.5/10 bowlers not to mention Warned and Macgill

Woyld loved to see how he fared with teamates like Praveen Kumar Rao Iftikhar Harkesh Kanitkar Sajid Mahmood &Toni Suji
 
ManFan said:
3) Lost only Two Test series: India in 2001 and England in 2005
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Don't think that is true. I know Pakistan won in 94' and Mcgrath was in the team. I think Windies, and SA also won series against AUS in the 90s as well. Not 100% on that though.
 
Did he have one of the greatest careers ever? Sure, but that doesn't make him the greatest player ever. He was a great player in a team filled with great players.

Still, any cricketer would love to be part of three world cup winning teams and end both their test and odi careers on a high.
 
Minku said:
Don't think that is true. I know Pakistan won in 94' and Mcgrath was in the team. I think Windies, and SA also won series against AUS in the 90s as well. Not 100% on that though.
Click to expand...

South Africa didn't beat Australia until 2008/09.
 
Yes Indeed. Can't think of a single thing which is lacking in his career. He performed everywhere, against everyone, on every stage and he did it for a long time.
 
So after 106 innings
Cummins vs. McGrath
Wkts 257 251
Avg. 22.13 23.3
5W 12 15
10W 2 1
---------------
So no where does Cummins rank
 
McGrath did very well in all conditions, was also instrumental in winning his side a series in India.

Cummins must prove himself in alien conditions to be in this sort of discussion, he hasn't won an Ashes in England or a series in SA, NZ, SL, BD, WI. His career is more similar to Lilllee's at the moment who did well only in Aus and Eng.

For me McGrath is the greatest cricketer of all time, past eras included.
 
McGrath left very little that couldn't be achieved. His record in WCs is phenomenal. Without taking a single 4 fer or more, he was easily the highest wicket taker of 2007 WC edition.
He had an unmatched aura about him, probably the only one who wasn't express fast.
 
McGrath's last ball in ODIs was a wicket. His last ball in tests was a wicket. His last T20I ball was a wicket. Destiny's favorite child, born champion.

Btw his last ODI was the 2007 WC final. His last test ended with thumping England 5-0 in the Ashes, member of the number one test team in the world which would go on a 16 match winning streak, for the second time in 7 years. Poetic.
 
Not sure about the greatest. But, definitely one of the greatest.

He was a key player in Australia's ATG team.
 
3-time ODI World Cup champion (1999, 2003, 2007)
Champions Trophy winner (2006)

Happy 55th birthday to the Australian great, Glenn McGrath
 
McGrath predicts 5-0 win for Australia in Ashes

Glenn McGrath predicts England will be whitewashed in the 2025-26 Ashes, backing Australia to win the series 5-0.

The former Australia bowler, a six-time Ashes winner, always makes this prediction and did so before the 2023 series, which ended in a 2-2 draw, with the tourists retaining the urn.

England have not won an Ashes series since 2015, drawing two and losing two, and have not won a series - or indeed a Test - in Australia since 2010-11.

"It's very rare for me to make a prediction, isn't it? And I can't make a different one - 5-0," McGrath told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"I'm very confident with our team. When you've got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon firing in their home conditions, it's going to be pretty tough.

"Plus, that track record England have had, it'd be interesting to see if they can win a Test."

Australia won 4-0 when England last toured the country in 2021-22 and Cummins' side have only lost two of their past 15 Tests on home soil, winning 11 and drawing two.

McGrath conceded there are "issues" with Australia's batting, particularly their unsettled top three. Usman Khawaja, Cameron Green and Marnus Labuschagne are out of form, and opener Sam Konstas is yet to nail down his spot as the retired David Warner's replacement.

But with England's bowling attack also needing "to strengthen a little bit", McGrath says the key battle will be between the tourists' top seven and Australia's bowlers, pinpointing Joe Root and Harry Brook as two players to watch.

"This series will be a big one for Root," said McGrath. "He's never really done that well in Australia, he's not even got a 100 over there, so he'll be keen to get out there. He's in fine form."

Joe Root has scored 892 Test runs in Australia, including nine fifties, but is yet to score a century.

He averages 35.68 down under, compared to his career average of 51.29, with a highest score of 89.

"Brook's the one that I've enjoyed watching," added McGrath. "He just goes out there, plays his game, and takes it on. The Australians will need to get on him pretty early.

"Ben Duckett is such an aggressive opener. Zak Crawley would be keen to score a few more runs than he has previously.

"It's the top order or top and middle order of England against the Australian fast bowlers and Lyon. That's going to be a big match-up."

England have won 25 of their 41 Tests under head coach Brendon McCullum but are yet to win a five-match Test series, most recently drawing 2-2 with India.

McGrath, 55, was full of admiration for England's style under McCullum but challenged them to be more mentally "switched on".

"I love seeing sportspeople go out there and play without fear, " he said.

"That's what Baz is looking to bring into this England team - play without fear.

"I'd like to see a bit more accountability and the mental side of the game, just them switched on a bit more. It's exciting."


www.bbc.com

Ashes 2025-26: Glenn McGrath predicts 5-0 win for Australia

As usual, Glenn McGrath predicts Australia will win the 2025-26 Ashes 5-0 - but says Joe Root and Harry Brook are the England players the hosts will fear most.
www.bbc.com www.bbc.com
 
ManFan said:
Glenn McGrath. The man ran up, bowed the same line and length and eventually bored the batsmen into playing. Here are his extraordinary achievements in cricket:
1) Most wickets by a fast bowler in Tests
2) Helped his team to Three World Cups and Four out of Four Finals
3) Lost only Two Test series: India in 2001 and England in 2005
4) 300+ wickets in ODI
5) Part of two Australian teams to win a record 16 consecutive Tests
6) Finished his ODI career with a wicket of his last ball
7) Finished his last World Cup as leading wicket-taker with 27 scalps
8) Finished his Test career with a wicket of his last ball
9) Averaged Less than 21 in Tests and 22 in ODI
10) Took Brian Lara's wicket a record 18 Times, Atherton's wicket a record 19 Times, Sachin's wicket 13 Times.
So my question is, did Glenn McGrath have the Perfect Cricketing Career?
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Easily the greatest bowler of all time.

He's basically the Don Bradman of Bowling. He has had a perfect career.

His onoy red mark is those 2 test series but even the don lost during bodyline.

I have never seen a better bowler then Mcgrath. This guy was too good and next level.

It is an insult by Indian fans who proclaim Bumrah is > Mcgrath. The gap between these 2 is massive.
 
That ashes in 2005 he got injured before the 2nd test. Given how close that series was I think it’s very likely England wouldn’t have won had McGrath stayed fit. So not sure that series even counts as a lost one for McGrath individually.

Just truly incredible career, he won pretty much everything and was often the best performer on top. Australia’s most important player.

What feels even more impressive is I don’t think I’ve seen a bowler yet with a better record than McGrath or as consistent. Even batsmen in the modern era at times, when you compare to the greats before like Tendulkar you could say smith was better for a period in tests. Maybe Kohli took it to new heights in LOI. You can’t really find any bowlers with the sheer longevity of McGrath over all formats. I’m sure he would have dominated t20 too had he played more. Maybe Bumrah has been extremely good but McGrath did it for over 120 tests and 250 ODIs. Fast bowlers usually fall off or go through bad patches. And McGrath in tournaments I feel has had a bigger impact than Bumrah has.
 
For me he is the second greatest test bowler behind only Malcolm Marshall.

In Odis he is number one, the only competitor being Garner and maybe Wasim.
 
Dont agree with the greatest but one of the very few lucky ones to be part of great successful teams through out his journey. He had a great career from his own performance and team wise.Lara had to skip for 6 months as he was not able to bear his team atrocious game.Definitely top 3 in test and odi formats as per preferences. In t20s his line and length may not have worked out as symmonds showed him in ipl.Even ambrose said he had bragging rights against Waugh, Warne,AB etc as he has won more against them. Opinions and preferences are always subjective.
 
Watching McGrath bowl especially vs your team was a frightening experience. You just knew it was only a matter of time before the openers were going to knick one.

Loved the way he owned peak Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup final - the most important match of Tendulkar’s career at the time.
 
Mamoon said:
Watching McGrath bowl especially vs your team was a frightening experience. You just knew it was only a matter of time before the openers were going to knick one.

Loved the way he owned peak Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup final - the most important match of Tendulkar’s career at the time.
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Its Tendulkar's most important match all time. This and 2011 in which he failed spectacularly and 2011 was won on the backs of Yuvi and Dhoni
 
Mamoon said:
Watching McGrath bowl especially vs your team was a frightening experience. You just knew it was only a matter of time before the openers were going to knick one.

Loved the way he owned peak Tendulkar in the 2003 World Cup final - the most important match of Tendulkar’s career at the time.
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Also tenda averaged 43 when McGrath played but not directly vs him. It was lower I am sure.

McGrath owned everyone.
 
kron said:
Normally I would say yes McGrath benefited from playing with WC players

But the fact is that Aus team wouldn’t be dominant without him.

They were very beatable if he dint play.

Hence why mcg is goat
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This.

He didn't ride on the coattails of others since he consistently fronted up and played a leading part in our dominance. He was basically a set-and-forget type player.
 
kron said:
McGrath was so good that he could literally tell you what he wanted to bowl and he would still get you out
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Oh yeah I saw that on youtube. Dude was telling the commentators that he will bowl this and then even told the batsmen he would bowl this and he got him out 🤣🤣
 
I think the team he played in made a massive difference.

Without the runs on the board, the excellent slip catching and support bowling, I’m not sure his record would have been as great.

Out of metronomes, I believe Ambrose was better.
 
McGrath was an amazing in both odi and tests

Guy had an amazing accuracy forcing great batsman to do mistake and pounce on them

Legendary bowler alongside Warne and Akram
 
TheSultan said:
I think the team he played in made a massive difference.

Without the runs on the board, the excellent slip catching and support bowling, I’m not sure his record would have been as great.

Out of metronomes, I believe Ambrose was better.
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You are wrong about Mcgrath.

He and Ponting were the 2 best players of their team.

Irrespective of what would have happened if they played for a weaker side the truth is that any side would get elevated if any of these 2 were to be incorporated into the playing 11.

Replace any batter in pakistan's current lineup for ponting or any bowler for mcgrath and the team would be 100x stronger.
 
mominsaigol said:
Easily the greatest bowler of all time.

He's basically the Don Bradman of Bowling. He has had a perfect career.

His onoy red mark is those 2 test series but even the don lost during bodyline.

I have never seen a better bowler then Mcgrath. This guy was too good and next level.

It is an insult by Indian fans who proclaim Bumrah is > Mcgrath. The gap between these 2 is massive.
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Impact wise probably yes. McGrath had the luxury of playing in an Aussie side possessing top-notch batsmen

But skill-wise, Wasim Akram (if only Pak had better slip-catchers and batters to back up his bowling effort) > McGrath
 
mominsaigol said:
You are wrong about Mcgrath.

He and Ponting were the 2 best players of their team.

Irrespective of what would have happened if they played for a weaker side the truth is that any side would get elevated if any of these 2 were to be incorporated into the playing 11.

Replace any batter in pakistan's current lineup for ponting or any bowler for mcgrath and the team would be 100x stronger.
Click to expand...
Current lineup of course - McGrath and Ponting would have made the current Pak lineup much better, but stick any leading 90s bowler in the current Pak lineup and they would make the team 100x stronger.

But in general McGrath would never have been as effective without runs on the board (that gave him patience) and support fielders and reliable keeper. Gonna have to disagree with you here brother
 
TheSultan said:
Current lineup of course - McGrath and Ponting would have made the current Pak lineup much better, but stick any leading 90s bowler in the current Pak lineup and they would make the team 100x stronger.

But in general McGrath would never have been as effective without runs on the board (that gave him patience) and support fielders and reliable keeper. Gonna have to disagree with you here brother
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Their isn't a single batter in history who has truly dominated mcgrath excluding one off games and many times he was the opening bowler.

He got 4 wickets and gave away only 8 runs to an all star india batting attack in odi getting rid of both laxman, ganguly and sachin included.

India got bundled out for 100 while they were batting first all thanks to McGrath.

India was the 2nd best batting team of that era after Australia. They weren't so bad that they would get mauled for 100.

Infact Australia mauled them 24/7 back then.
 
AZulfi said:
Impact wise probably yes. McGrath had the luxury of playing in an Aussie side possessing top-notch batsmen

But skill-wise, Wasim Akram (if only Pak had better slip-catchers and batters to back up his bowling effort) > McGrath
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Wasim Akram is the greatest odi bowler of all time but he isn't > Mcgrath.

Mcgrath was harder to hit which is a metric not determined by catch drops.
 
mominsaigol said:
Wasim Akram is the greatest odi bowler of all time but he isn't > Mcgrath.

Mcgrath was harder to hit which is a metric not determined by catch drops.
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Would be interesting to know how good Wasim would have been if he played for Aus and McGrath for Pakistan

I still feel McGrath would have won more icc titles with Pakistan than Wasim would have had the roles been reversed

He was simply the best ever in odi. And in tests too.

Just too accurate.
 
McGrath's deadly accurate bowling makes him a great bowler. Not many bowlers have such accuracy and tend to bowl long spells at same area. I think Asif was one who could have been the greatest one, but unfortunately, he messed up. Philander was pretty accurate as well, but lacked pace.
 
kron said:
Would be interesting to know how good Wasim would have been if he played for Aus and McGrath for Pakistan
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If we don't make assumption that both would have learned different tricks based on home grounds and just go by what I observed - actual skills.

Wasim career would have been better and McGrath's career would have been worse. Wasim had skills to run through batting sides in different conditions( Asia and outside Asia). McGrth did not have skills to run through sides in Asia. He has just 1 5-fers in Asia in test in his long career.

In ODI, I think it's a much harder call. Bowler don't have to run through batting side to win games. But it's hard to argue that Wasim would not have benefitted from fielding of Aus team. I do think Wasim's career with same skills would have been better if he was playing for Aus team in both formats.
 
Buffet said:
If we don't make assumption that both would have learned different tricks based on home grounds and just go by what I observed - actual skills.

Wasim career would have been better and McGrath's career would have been worse. Wasim had skills to run through batting sides in different conditions( Asia and outside Asia). McGrth did not have skills to run through sides in Asia. He has just 1 5-fers in Asia in test in his long career.

In ODI, I think it's a much harder call. Bowler don't have to run through batting side to win games. But it's hard to argue that Wasim would not have benefitted from fielding of Aus team. I do think Wasim's career with same skills would have been better if he was playing for Aus team in both formats.
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But mentality matters and that’s where McGrath trumps all. Including Wasim bumrah I feel

But who knows right. With better support cast and fielders plus good batsmen, all 3 could be deadly anywhere.

Pure skill wise I still would say McGrath had superior skill to Wasim.

Bumrah being the most skilful but lacks the longevity.
 
Buffet said:
If we don't make assumption that both would have learned different tricks based on home grounds and just go by what I observed - actual skills.

Wasim career would have been better and McGrath's career would have been worse. Wasim had skills to run through batting sides in different conditions( Asia and outside Asia). McGrth did not have skills to run through sides in Asia. He has just 1 5-fers in Asia in test in his long career.

In ODI, I think it's a much harder call. Bowler don't have to run through batting side to win games. But it's hard to argue that Wasim would not have benefitted from fielding of Aus team. I do think Wasim's career with same skills would have been better if he was playing for Aus team in both formats.
Click to expand...

MacGrath strength was his accuracy supported by excellent fielders , in terms of variations , Akram was ahead , no doubt about that.
 
Wasim Akram averaged 27.7 overall in South Africa, England and Australia.
Mcgrath averaged 23 in Asia, counting the number of 5 fers does not show the performance.
 
sindhiboy said:
Wasim Akram averaged 27.7 overall in South Africa, England and Australia.
Mcgrath averaged 23 in Asia, counting the number of 5 fers does not show the performance.
Click to expand...
what if was in played for that Aus team though? Or a bumrah for that Aus side?

That’s the question
 
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