• Welcome to the Cricket Web forums, one of the biggest forums in the world dedicated to cricket.

    You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join the Cricket Web community today!

    If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.

Malcolm Marshall vs Glen McGrath

You prefer


  • Total voters
    104

TheJediBrah

Request Your Custom Title Now!
On what basis was McGrath a more accurate bowler than Marshall? My impression is that they were both among the most accurate bowlers ever and could both consistently land it exactly where they wanted. McGrath probably pitched the ball in the same place time and again more repetitively, but that is simply a function of Marshall having a wider repertoire of tools to get people out.
I'm not an expert on Marshall but if he was as accurate as McGrath on top of all these extra tools he's supposed to have had then surely his stats would be way better than McGrath's? If McGrath can average close to Marshall in the era he played in despite lacking a lot of things that Marshall had there logically must be something that McGrath did to make up for it that Marshall didn't
 

h_hurricane

International Vice-Captain
The most frequently dismissed batsmen by Mcgrath were Atherton(19), Lara(15),Adams(12),Campbell(11) and Stewart(10).

He dismissed Kallis and Tendulkar 6 times. Dravid, Inzy and Chanderpaul were dismissed 5 times.

Marshall on the other hand dismissed Gooch(16),Lamb(13),Border(11), Vengsarkar(10) and Boon(10). He also dismissed Gavaskar 8 times.
 

Himannv

Hall of Fame Member
From what I've seen of him, I think Marshall was just as accurate as McGrath. If I'm looking for differentiators in favour of McGrath, I think he has that awkward bounce and I felt he was a little bit better at getting batsmen to play him - not only due to the line he bowled but also getting the ideal amount of movement.
 

TheJediBrah

Request Your Custom Title Now!
From what I've seen of him, I think Marshall was just as accurate as McGrath. If I'm looking for differentiators in favour of McGrath, I think he has that awkward bounce and I felt he was a little bit better at getting batsmen to play him - not only due to the line he bowled but also getting the ideal amount of movement.
I'm gonna say movement off the pitch. McGrath had an uncanny ability to move the ball either way off the pitch in most conditions almost at will
 

anil1405

International Captain
I'm gonna say movement off the pitch. McGrath had an uncanny ability to move the ball either way off the pitch in most conditions almost at will
Movement just enough for batsman to nick it. And to do that on a consistent basis and with precision was a skill that no one mastered better than McGrath.

Marshall on the other hand had the natural flair and a bit of everything that would make any cricket fan want to wake up in the morning and go watch him bowl. So apart from the records of both players what goes in Marshall's favour is the sheer sight of him running in and troubling the batsmen with sheer pace, skiddy action and his ability to extract bounce for someone of his height.
 

Nikhil99.94

School Boy/Girl Captain
McGrath was the better bowler,almost similar stats in test,+won 3 World Cups,Marshall won none,as someone said the game has moved on and McGrath did almost similiar things what Marshall did and in more competitive time and with almost 200 more test wickets. Ian Chappell said dk lilliee could do everything that McGrath could and 10mph faster so was he better than mcgrath?older players would say larwood was as accurate as Marshall+had better bouncer+was faster. don’t give much abt opinion if that isn’t of someone like bradman,hobbs and some all time truly great players.
If this question was abt greater bowler then I would go for MM in test but for better bowler McGrath in both formats.
 
Last edited:

Bolo.

International Captain
The most frequently dismissed batsmen by Mcgrath were Atherton(19), Lara(15),Adams(12),Campbell(11) and Stewart(10).

He dismissed Kallis and Tendulkar 6 times. Dravid, Inzy and Chanderpaul were dismissed 5 times.

Marshall on the other hand dismissed Gooch(16),Lamb(13),Border(11), Vengsarkar(10) and Boon(10). He also dismissed Gavaskar 8 times.
This pretty much just reads like a list of the specialist bats they played the most against, with (unsurprisingly) something of a bias in favour of the top order.
 

Slifer

International Captain
McGrath was the better bowler,almost similar stats in test,+won 3 World Cups,Marshall won none,as someone said the game has moved on and McGrath did almost similiar things what Marshall did and in more competitive time and with almost 200 more test wickets. Ian Chappell said dk lilliee could do everything that McGrath could and 10mph faster so was he better than mcgrath?older players would say larwood was as accurate as Marshall+had better bouncer+was faster. don’t give much abt opinion if that isn’t of someone like bradman,hobbs and some all time truly great players.
If this question was abt greater bowler then I would go for MM but for better bowler McGrath in both formats.
I would say the opposite. MM was minimally better but McGrath greater for all the things you listed
 

subshakerz

Hall of Fame Member
McGrath was the better bowler,almost similar stats in test,+won 3 World Cups,Marshall won none,as someone said the game has moved on and McGrath did almost similiar things what Marshall did and in more competitive time and with almost 200 more test wickets. Ian Chappell said dk lilliee could do everything that McGrath could and 10mph faster so was he better than mcgrath?older players would say larwood was as accurate as Marshall+had better bouncer+was faster. don’t give much abt opinion if that isn’t of someone like bradman,hobbs and some all time truly great players.
If this question was abt greater bowler then I would go for MM but for better bowler McGrath in both formats.
McGrath never was as devastating as Marshall was in mid-80s when he was taking around 6 wickets a tests in a bowling lineup full of worldclass pacers.

Marshall is the greater/better test bowler.
 

Nikhil99.94

School Boy/Girl Captain
Early career Lillee's bowling action was a bit ungainly frankly.
Watching dk lillee was better than anyone to have ever lived.His run up was the best ever ,his action when he was old too was possibly the best ever,I personally prefer watching young dk lillee with his run up ,watching dk lillee was better than watching Marshall any day.
 

Top