Glenn McGrath

Biography

Glenn McGrath bowled the same line and length for 14 years and nobody could do anything about it. The tall New South Welshman didn't swing the ball extravagantly or bowl thunderbolts — he simply hit the top of off stump, over and over, with metronomic precision that drove the world's best batsmen to distraction. His 563 Test wickets are the most by any pace bowler in history, achieved at an average of 21.64 that seems impossibly low for someone who bowled 29,248 deliveries. He dismissed Brian Lara 15 times, Sachin Tendulkar and Atherton 10 times each — he owned the greats. Three World Cup winners' medals and five Ashes series victories made him the backbone of Australian dominance. Off the field, the McGrath Foundation, established after his first wife Jane's battle with cancer, became one of cricket's most important legacies.

Career Highlights

• 563 Test wickets at 21.64 (most by a pace bowler)
• 381 ODI wickets
• 3 World Cup winners' medals (1999, 2003, 2007)
• 5 Ashes series victories
• Dismissed Lara 15 times

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