2nd greatest living cricketer

[SillyCowCorner1]

I love how we have moved on from Imran Khan to Glenn McGrath

 

[Slifer]

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Yeah, not much to distinguish McGrath from the rest. So fair to say that had they continued post 2000, at least one of them would've been in McGrath's ball park.

McGrath fwiw, gets goat status (along with MM) from me became of his more or less all round excellence. Also, yeah I tend to rate him higher for being the last of the Mohicans (until Steyn) ie atg great fast bowlers. And he did do outstandingly well on some roads.

 

[kyear2]

Yeah, not much to distinguish McGrath from the rest. So fair to say that had they continued post 2000, at least one of them would've been in McGrath's ball park.

McGrath fwiw, gets goat status (along with MM) from me became of his more or less all round excellence. Also, yeah I tend to rate him higher for being the last of the Mohicans (until Steyn) ie atg great fast bowlers. And he did do outstandingly well on some roads.

He also continued to get better

 

[Slifer]

He also continued to get better

Yeah, so it's very likely any one of his 90s contemporaries would've as well. Walsh who we agree isn't remotely in McGrath's class, played a handful of tests post 2000. 20 to be exact. He averaged 19 odd and struck at his usual 57. Admittedly, it wasn't a large sample size but it's something to think about....

 

[subshakerz]

I think we can all agree that if you transplanted Akram, Donald and Ambrose to the 2000s they would have still turned up with sterling figures,. So giving McGrath extra points doesn't make sense. Unless someone can convince me that McGrath was capable of something in the 2000s that the others were not, except for his incredible consistency in maintaining peak form from 95 till almost retirement.

 

[Victor Ian]

McGrath could get in the head of the best opposition players and mentally **** them over. He called them out every series and kept their meaningful runs down.

It's a bit of a joke to suggest the other bowlers would have done as well. Some wreaked havoc when conditions suited and did less when it was tough. McGrath was Mr consistent.

Would Ambrose an Walsh have fared as well when pitches moved towards docile, even in their own backyard? Would Wasim and waqar have done as well when they had to work extra hard for the same rewards? Maybe, but McGrath did it in the era known for roads. Bring stats showing the others performing on the roads in the 90's or pfft.

 

[sunilz]

As long as Ambrose was playing, nobody considered McGrath better .

 

[Victor Ian]

As long as Ambrose was playing, nobody considered McGrath better .

I'll give you Ambrose. But some ***** are suggesting all the 90's bowlers would do as well. They wouldn't.

 

[Slifer]

McGrath could get in the head of the best opposition players and mentally **** them over. He called them out every series and kept their meaningful runs down.

It's a bit of a joke to suggest the other bowlers would have done as well. Some wreaked havoc when conditions suited and did less when it was tough. McGrath was Mr consistent.

Would Ambrose an Walsh have fared as well when pitches moved towards docile, even in their own backyard? Would Wasim and waqar have done as well when they had to work extra hard for the same rewards? Maybe, but McGrath did it in the era known for roads. Bring stats showing the others performing on the roads in the 90's or pfft.

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Here you go. Ambrose's stats in two of the flattest wickets in all of cricket.

 

[Victor Ian]

I could probably also say if McGrath started in the 80's so he peaked in the 90's he'd have been clearly ahead of that classroom.

 

[Slifer]

I'll give you Ambrose. But some ****s are suggesting all the 90's bowlers would do as well. They wouldn't.

If that's directed at me, that's not what I said. I said that at least one of his 90s contemporaries would've have likely succeeded in the 2000s as well. What is so unreasonable about that?

 

[sunilz]

I'll give you Ambrose. But some ****s are suggesting all the 90's bowlers would do as well. They wouldn't.

AWTA.
Akram who couldn't get to ICC no .1 Test rankings in his career is not in same league as McGrath.

Ambrose to McGrath is Equivalent of Devilliers to Kohli in ODI.

 

[Teja.]

AWTA.
Akram who couldn't get to ICC no .1 Test rankings in his career is not in same league as McGrath.

Ambrose to McGrath is Equivalent of Devilliers to Kohli in ODI.

ABDv and Kohli are not the absolute best ODI batsmen even though they are top 5 IMO. Viv and Sachin dominated multiple world cups each as the best batsman or thereabouts and I will always credit that in LOs.

 

[Slifer]

AWTA.
Akram who couldn't get to ICC no .1 Test rankings in his career is not in same league as McGrath.

Ambrose to McGrath is Equivalent of Devilliers to Kohli in ODI.

DeVilliers and Kohli are a toss up afaic. McGrath is above Ambrose by a coat of varnish.

 

[Victor Ian]

Bowling records | Test matches | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Here you go. Ambrose's stats in two of the flattest wickets in all of cricket.

If that's directed at me, that's not what I said. I said that at least one of his 90s contemporaries would've have likely succeeded in the 2000s as well. What is so unreasonable about that?

It was a generic potshot.

It's all just conjecture, but before anyone responds with, 'that is why we have cricket chat', I know. Some days, I just feel like a grump.

 

[Slifer]

It was a generic potshot.

It's all just conjecture, but before anyone responds with, 'that is why we have cricket chat', I know. Some days, I just feel like a grump.

Lol. And some days I just love a good debate....

 

[subshakerz]

McGrath could get in the head of the best opposition players and mentally **** them over. He called them out every series and kept their meaningful runs down.

It's a bit of a joke to suggest the other bowlers would have done as well. Some wreaked havoc when conditions suited and did less when it was tough. McGrath was Mr consistent.

Would Ambrose an Walsh have fared as well when pitches moved towards docile, even in their own backyard? Would Wasim and waqar have done as well when they had to work extra hard for the same rewards? Maybe, but McGrath did it in the era known for roads. Bring stats showing the others performing on the roads in the 90's or pfft.

Were pitches in the subcontinent roads in the 90s? Because Wasim did very well there.

The argument that McGrath doing well in the 2000s makes him exceptional is nonsense. Especially since the few worldclass bowlers who were around for most of the 2000s also did well. And also the quality of batting lineups McGrath generally faced on his own roads at home wasn't that great either. The best of them, SA, he averaged over 30 against btw, and he never bowled against India at home in the 2000s.

None of this is to say that McGrath wasn't the best pacer of his time and the best after Marshall. But this particular argument doesn't hold merit.

 

[_00_deathscar]

Would Ambrose an Walsh have fared as well when pitches moved towards docile, even in their own backyard? Would Wasim and waqar have done as well when they had to work extra hard for the same rewards? Maybe, but McGrath did it in the era known for roads. Bring stats showing the others performing on the roads in the 90's or pfft.

But it was already shown that Walsh did - and no one considers him in the same class as McGrath. The others were largely cooked for various reasons by that point

There’s Shoaib too…

 

[sunilz]

Were pitches in the subcontinent roads in the 90s? Because Wasim did very well there.

The argument that McGrath doing well in the 2000s makes him exceptional is nonsense. Especially since the few worldclass bowlers who were around for most of the 2000s also did well. And also the quality of batting lineups McGrath generally faced on his own roads at home wasn't that great either. The best of them, SA, he averaged over 30 against btw, and he never bowled against India at home in the 2000s.

None of this is to say that McGrath wasn't the best pacer of his time and the best after Marshall. But this particular argument doesn't hold merit.

Asian pitches weren't road in 90s. Check average of Srinath in IND or Vaas in SL.

 

[honestbharani]

I think Ambrose > McGrath > Wasim, among the fast bowlers I have had the privilege of watching.

EDIT: Actually, would streak Steyn in there between as equal 2nd to McGrath. Absolutely loved his bowling in tests in the 2005-15 period.