"No i will not have any trouble facing Marshall."

[smash84]

People talk about bowlers hitting a 10cm x 10cm patch again and again but of course they exaggerate, no one can actually do that...

Except McGrath. I remember one ODI in England in 05 where they showed the pitch map of his first 5-6 over spell and no joke it was one small red blob on a good length just outside off. It was almost surreal.

I reckon richard hadlee could do that as well except that he did not have the steep bounce that McGrath could generate

 

[Nate]

The second event was in a charity T20 match that he took part in. He was bowling to Warner, who at the time was arguably the best T20 batsman in the world. McGrath was miked and was commentating on his own bowling. The first three balls he was talking about how he was going to bring the ball back into the batsman to continue building pressure. Then the forth ball he said he was going to take it away from the batsman, catch the edge and have him caught behind. He did so and the batsman was caught at first slip. No other bowler could have executed a plan so perfectly. No other fast bowler dealt so well in subtleties. Very few fast bowlers were as effective at taking wickets.

I remember this! PLEASE tell me there's footage of it somewhere...

EDIT: robelinda will never disappoint.

EDIT2: I remember it differently in my mind. Weird.

 

[turnstyle]

Since when would Sachin ever have problems facing James Marshall?

 

[andyc]

While I don't like Roebuck's work, he does have the occasional flash of brilliance and he's summed up my thoughts on McGrath pretty much perfectly here.

Some bowlers strike terror in the heart. Others dazzle. This blighter just took your wicket. Cheaply.

For all the flak that statistical arguments get, I think this is one case that highlights their usefulness. I never got to see Lillee or Marshall bowl, but I've watched a hell of a lot of McGrath and you'd no doubt forgiven for viewing him as a defensive bowler when compared to other fast bowling greats, but his strike rate is still up there with the best. Just because the bloke is plonking it on a length outside offstump and nibbling it one way or the other every now and then rather than sconing a bloke and following it up with a yorker that swings a foot and a half doesn't mean he's not looking to take wickets.

 

[smash84]

a well written article indeed..........

 

[Bun]

wag.

 

[Migara]

What I am say is exactly the opposite. Teams like India and Pakistan were easier to bowl against in Marshall's era than in McGrath's. India and South Africa had very strong batting sides when McGrath was around. There was no really strong batting line-up around when Marshall played so he was not really put to the ultimate test. Not his fault but I get a bit annoyed when people automatically equate better stats with better bowler.

I don't even necessarily consider McGrath the better bowler but stats are not everything. My opinion is that there is 5 to 10 fast bowlers that you really cannot split and it depends on the situation which one you want really.

You may be having a point about India, but Pakistan batting of 80s were criminally underrated. They were the only players who met West Indian pace quartet's fire with fire. Miandad, Salim Malik are the ones I can remember top of my head doing that. But Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Ramiz Raja, Amir Sohail, Saeed Anwar and later Inzamam never shyed away from intimidatory fast bowling. Infact McGrath bowled to a weaker Pakistani team due to match fixing scandals and infighting.

 

[Shri]

Inzamam always looked like he had plenty of time to play his shots against the fast bowlers. The lethargy he displayed on field could have fooled people.

 

[smash84]

You may be having a point about India, but Pakistan batting of 80s were criminally underrated. They were the only players who met West Indian pace quartet's fire with fire. Miandad, Salim Malik are the ones I can remember top of my head doing that. But Zaheer Abbas, Asif Iqbal, Ramiz Raja, Amir Sohail, Saeed Anwar and later Inzamam never shyed away from intimidatory fast bowling. Infact McGrath bowled to a weaker Pakistani team due to match fixing scandals and infighting.

While Imran always questioned Zaheer Abbas, Saleem Malik and Miandad for not being very good against the WI he did "hand it to Miandad as a batsman" after the 1988 series in WI against the WI. I do agree though that McGrath bowled to a weaker Pak outfit especially post 2000 than what Marshall had to bowl to. Imran himself was a decent lower order batsman and could be quite gritty.

Inzamam always looked like he had plenty of time to play his shots against the fast bowlers. The lethargy he displayed on field could have fooled people.

lol.....true

 

[ankitj]

Inzamam always looked like he had plenty of time to play his shots against the fast bowlers. The lethargy he displayed on field could have fooled people.

Agree with that. He was also one of the best and most effortless player of the backfoot pull shot. Class act.

 

[smash84]

Agree with that. He was also one of the best and most effortless player of the backfoot pull shot. Class act.

yeah and with a terrible record against both SA and Australia

 

[G.I.Joe]

Unfortunately for you champ, the majority of cricket experts around the world, who know more about this game than you ever will, don't even rate McGrath in the top 3 fast bowlers of all time, because he was completely one dimensional and not particularly skillful. The majority of Australians who have seen both, don't even think he was as good as Dennis Lillee.

But, keep staring at those McGrath posters on your wall, if that helps you sleep better at night.

Well, aren't you the big boy?

McGrath.

 

[G.I.Joe]

I would go as far as to say that anyone who called McGrath one-dimensional knows nothing about fast bowling. Two seconds thought would make you realise a one-dimensional bowler could not have the success that McGrath had.

This.

 

[smash84]

This.

So do you agree with the second part of the statement as well???????

 

[G.I.Joe]

So do you agree with the second part of the statement as well???????

While not forming a basis for the validity of the first statement, I would tend to agree with the second part too.

 

[smash84]

While not forming a basis for the validity of the first statement, I would tend to agree with the second part too.

Then do you believe that Waqar too was not uni-dimensional???? While most people might believe that he was one dimensional and had it not been for his back injuries he might have been the best fast bowler ever to play the game in terms of taking wickets. His peak was just phenomenal I don't think McGrath's peak was quite like what Waqar's was and yet Waqar even with the ordinary record of his last few years has a decent enough record to be classified as an ATG and although not quite in his category but still not too far away from McGrath. So you can be quite one dimensional and be phenomenally successful.

 

[G.I.Joe]

Then do you believe that Waqar too was not uni-dimensional????

He liked to mix things up. He wasn't biased towards any one of the three stumps.

What's the relevance to McGrath?

 

[smash84]

He liked to mix things up. He wasn't biased towards any one of the three stumps.

What's the relevance to McGrath?

This

Then do you believe that Waqar too was not uni-dimensional???? While most people might believe that he was one dimensional and had it not been for his back injuries he might have been the best fast bowler ever to play the game in terms of taking wickets. His peak was just phenomenal I don't think McGrath's peak was quite like what Waqar's was and yet Waqar even with the ordinary record of his last few years has a decent enough record to be classified as an ATG and although not quite in his category but still not too far away from McGrath. So you can be quite one dimensional and be phenomenally successful.

 

[smash84]

He liked to mix things up. He wasn't biased towards any one of the three stumps.

What's the relevance to McGrath?

Waqar was biased towards the inswinging yorker and when he didn't have that going he was taken apart for a lot of runs.......he couldn't manage too well without it..........

 

[G.I.Joe]

This

The bolded portion of the quote in post #233 wasn't bolded for fun. The statement clearly stands on its own.