McGrath retirement unconfirmed

Ever since Shane Warne’s impending retirement was leaked to the media on Wednesday afternoon, Glenn McGrath’s name has been mentioned in the same vein. The Sydney Morning Herald reported this morning that McGrath will announce his retirement from both forms of the game within the next week, but today neither McGrath nor his manager could be reached for comment, and the possible date of his retirement remains a mystery. With Shane Warne’s retirement currently making headlines, McGrath may be delaying his announcement to avoid stealing the limelight from his teammate.

While it does appear that McGrath’s retirement is likely, the possible cause has been the subject of as much speculation as the date. There have been some reports that McGrath may have considered retirement because he was not guaranteed a place in the World Cup squad, while other sources suggest his post-Ashes retirement will be from test cricket only, and that he will remain on board for the World Cup.

The Australian test side has an 11 month break after the completion of the Ashes, leaving a window in which several senior players may choose to retire, rather than commit for another year to play in the following Australian summer. With no move yet made to deny the reports from McGrath, we can expect some form of confirmation before the Boxing Day test.