Interview with Glenn Mcgrath: "Express pace is an inherent quality that cannot be taught"

Glenn Mcgrath

Glenn McGrath was renowned for his unerring accuracy, relentless diligence, and a bagful of tricks. Fondly known as the ‘Pigeon’, he often set the cat among the best of batsmen. His illustrious record – 563 scalps in 124 Tests at an average of 21.64 – is an eloquent testimony to his undeniable greatness and legacy.

The most successful fast bowler in the history of Test cricket spoke to Sportskeeda in an exclusive interview, on a range of topics.

How has been your experience with the MRF Pace Foundation? How do you see the future of fast bowling in India?

It has been an extremely rewarding experience being in the MRF Pace Foundation. Each day I learn new techniques and methods of coaching. It is satisfying to pass on the knowledge to youngsters who are quite keen to glean the insights. I’m enjoying my stint as a coach in the MRF Pace Foundation.

The future of fast bowling in India is looking bright. You have youngsters coming up through the ranks who can bowl around 150kph, which is a huge asset. I’m working with a bunch of fast bowlers who are exciting prospects and are likely to represent India in the future.

You were the most successful fast bowler of your generation but were not known for your pace. You snapped up scalps by dint of unerring accuracy and a bagful of variations. Yet you emphasize a lot on pace?

Look, I bowled as fast as I could. I never settled for 75% pace of what I could bowl. That is why I don’t recommend cutting down on pace for the sake of control and accuracy. A fast bowler should try to bowl as fast he can. I think pace is definitely a big plus for any fast bowler. If I had more pace, I surely would have been a more devastating fast bowler.

What you are essentially stating is that accuracy and control can be learned over a period of time, but pace is an inherent trait?

Precisely. Express pace is definitely an inherent quality. It comes from within. It cannot be taught. One can learn control and accuracy as one matures with experience.

Just take an example of what Mitchell Johnson did to England in the last Ashes. He learned to bowl with a bit of control and decimated England with raw pace. This is what I mean when I emphasize the significance of pace.

Former Pakistan skipper Imran Khan once said that no one knows the art of picking up wickets better than Glenn McGrath. You were known to ‘work out’ batsmen through elaborate stratagems.

It was extremely kind of Imran to have said that. Fast bowling is not just about running in and banging the ball on the pitch. A lot of thinking and planning go into it. One has to think through to outfox batsmen.

If you’re just bowling without strategy or planning, you can get wickets sometimes by fluke. But in order to snaffle wickets consistently and be successful at the highest level for a long period of time, one needs to chalk out various ploys and then try to execute them effectively. Tactical nous is the kernel of fast bowling.

You were known to target and nip out the best batsmen of the opposition teams. You had some fascinating tussles with Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar and often got the better of them. What helped you achieve that?

I always relished the challenge of bowling to the best batsmen in the world and putting my skills to test. I studied their strengths and weaknesses and bowled according to the plans. They (Lara and Tendulkar) were both top batsmen and were extremely difficult to bowl at. I’ve had my fair share of success against them and they too scored runs against me on many occasions.

India have not produced many good fast bowlers in the last 20 years, while Australia have consistently churned out a string of excellent fast bowlers. Is that due to difference in culture of fast bowling and the approach towards it?

I think you are being a bit harsh on bowlers like Javagal Srinath and Zaheer Khan – to name a few. But I guess the pitches too play a key role. Pitches in Australia offer a fair amount of bounce, seam and grip to fast bowlers, so more youngsters take to fast bowling. In India, you mostly find slow and turning pitches; hence you see a lot of quality spinners emerging on a consistent basis.

So you believe that India must start preparing more pitches, especially in domestic circuit, which assist fast bowlers?

That is up to the administrators to decide. But I think fast bowlers must learn to pick up wickets in all conditions and on all pitches. I played many Tests in India and didn’t do badly. A lot of young fast bowlers do very well in Ranji Trophy so I don’t see why they can’t emulate that at an international level.

Also, each country has its own specialties. I am not sure whether it is feasible to produce the kind of bouncy pitches in India which we see at Perth or Brisbane.

Glenn Mcgrath sharing tips with young fast bowlers at MRF Pace Academy

How do you assess the current crop of fast bowlers representing India at the international level?

I genuinely believe that they all are very talented and doing well for themselves. Umesh Yadav and Varun Aaron consistently bowl in the range of 145-150 kph, which is fantastic, I think. Mohammad Shami bowled extremely well in the World Cup.

They all have potential to be successful and have long international careers. It is up to them how they improve and upgrade their set of skills on a consistent basis. One has to constantly learn and adapt as the career progresses.

You were known to predict 5-0 whitewash for England in the Ashes during your playing career. What is your take on the upcoming Ashes series?

It was exceedingly convenient for me to predict a 5-0 victory for Australia when I was playing because we had such a formidable team that I thought we could win every match. The current Australian team too is playing some excellent cricket. They won the World Cup and recently thrashed West Indies in the Test series.

England on the other hand are really struggling. They came a cropper in the World Cup and could only manage to draw the home Test series vs New Zealand. I think it would be an uphill task for England to prevent another 5-0 whitewash against Australia in the next Ashes. (chuckles)

What would be an ideal fast bowling combination for Australia in the Ashes?

I think the Australian selectors have a tough task at hand since there are so many quality fast bowlers to choose from. Mitchell Johnson, Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood have done a creditable job against West Indies. Ryan Harris has recovered from the injury and he is also a potent fast bowler. That’s a very good fast bowling line-up.