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NEWS India-Australia-West Indies Tri-Series>The comeback of Glenn McGrath 25th Aug 2006 21.01 IST By Manish Kumar The forthcoming tri-series in Malaysia will see the comeback of Glenn Donald McGrath to international cricket. McGrath missed Australia's tours to South Africa and Bangladesh to be with his wife as she was treated for cancer, and has not played at international level since January.
The inclusion of McGrath will strengthen Australia to a great extent as he is one of the most highly regarded fast bowlers in cricketing history, and a leading contributor to Australia's domination of world cricket since the mid-1990s till date. McGrath has never relied on pace for success. Instead he relies on unerring accuracy, and the ability to make the ball seam a little off the pitch. He can also generate steep bounce using a high arm action and the advantage of a 6'6" frame. In the latter years of his career he has begun to use swing bowling a lot more than in the past, helping to maintain his effectiveness even as his pace reduces somewhat. This effectiveness is illustrated by continuing success in the later parts of his career. In 2004, at the age of 34, McGrath took eight wickets for 24 runs against Pakistan in Perth, his best Test bowling figures and second-best ever by an Australian. Also notable is the longevity and resilience that he has shown, and in 2004 he became the first Australian fast bowler to play 100 Tests, and has become the most successful number 11 Test batsman in terms of runs. In the first innings of the ICC Super Series Test match in 2005, McGrath passed Courtney Andrew Walsh to become the greatest wicket taker among fast bowlers in Test history. McGrath has tasted success against every opposition team, in both Test and one-day cricket. McGrath publicly targets the opposition's best batsmen, at the beginning of a series against the West Indies he stated in interviews that he aimed, for his 300th wicket, to dismiss star batsman Brian Lara . He did so, what even McGrath could not have predicted was that it was in the middle of a hat trick. The targeting of opposition batsmen has worked, he has dismissed former England opener Mike Atherton 19 times – the most times any batsman has been dismissed by one bowler in cricket history. McGrath also tends to engage in sledging of opposition batsmen and teams, though it doesn't always pay off. Before the 2005 Ashes series he predicted a 5-0 whitewash for Australia, and even said that if England won the Ashes he would return to Australia by boat, but England prevailed 2-1. During the 1st Test at Lords in the 2005 Ashes series McGrath became the fourth bowler in history to take 500 Test wickets with the dismissal of Marcus Edward Trescothick . This wicket was also the start of a devastating spell of 5/2, which led to England being bowled out for 155. McGrath took 4/29 in the 2nd innings and was named man of the match in an emphatic Australian victory. Disaster struck when McGrath trod on a cricket ball and injured his ankle the morning before the start of the 2nd Test at Edgbaston. He was unable to play in the match, which England won by 2 runs. McGrath was rushed back when not fully fit for the 3rd Test at Old Trafford and he earned another 5-wicket haul in the 2nd innings of a thrilling drawn game. He then missed the 4th Test at Trent Bridge with an elbow injury, England won the Test by 3 wickets. McGrath returned for the final Test at The Oval but it was too late. McGrath's injury problems are seen as a key factor in England regaining the Ashes. Shane Keith Warne had an outstanding series but Australia struggled without McGrath in support. The two of them left the field at The Oval to a standing ovation having both probably played their last Test match in England and having tasted Ashes defeat for the first time. Having thwarted England so often in the past, this great duo had the grudging respect of English supporters. The comeback of McGrath is bad news for all batsmen. Also View In-Depth Coverage: India-Australia-West Indies Tri-Series Team Page: India Team Page: Australia | LIVE CRICKET COVERAGE NEWS ~ Gilchrist has no plans to retire after World Cup ~ Ganguly's new batting approach may cost him sixer record ~ India 'squash the Orange' in World Cup warm-up game ~ Symonds gets a new hairdo for World Cup ~ Dhoni readies himself for stand-up act at World Cup (more in NEWS) FACE-TO-FACE ~ 500-mark a possibility in World Cup: Hayden ~ Minnows add charm to World Cup: Dravid (more in FACE-TO-FACE) COLUMNS ~ Will Sri Lanka replicate 1996 World Cup success? (more in COLUMNS) OFF-THE-FIELD ~ Ganguly again the darling of corporate world ~ Ganguly roped in as brand ambassador of Puma (more in OFF-THE-FIELD) PLAYERS Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly, Rahul Dravid, Anil Kumble (more PLAYERS) TEAMS India, South Africa, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Australia, West Indies, Zimbabwe, England, New Zealand, Bangladesh, Kenya, Holland | 
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