Glenn McGrath, the tall Australian opening bowler, almost single-handedly crushed England in the first Ashes Test at Lord's with a splendid haul of nine wickets for 82. As a bowler of rare skill with command of length and direction and a nasty yorker McGrath crossed the milestone of 500 wickets.
While Shane Warne, Glenn's compatriot, tops the list of leading wicket-takers with an almost unbeatable aggregate of 589 only two other stalwarts, Muthiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka and Courtney Walsh of the West Indies are above the Australian.
With devilish intensity and clever variety he would go on and on to worry and harass the batsmen, whether they may be openers, middle order ones or tail-enders, having amazing precision.
No one doubted that the Australian seamer would not be able to go ahead of the much sought after 500 mark for in the first inning he had a bag of 5 wickets for 53 and in the second venture he made the deliveries hurry through-despite the fact that Brett Lee and Gillespie are comparatively faster than him - and bowled fascinatingly to get Australia the victory and gain the outfit a 1-0 lead in the Ashes trial of strength.
McGrath has now 508 scalps in the Tests and there is little doubt that he will move ahead of Walsh, who has 519 Test wickets in the current series, if not the Sri Lankan sorcerer who has 549 victims in his bag.
Against Pakistan the Australian's venomous effort at Perth in the first Test last December had demolished the visiting squad by an astonishing 491 runs. His 8 wickets for 24 in the second knock were a magnificent effort of medium-pace bowling that jolted Pakistan and helped Australia comfortably win the match.
At Melbourne in the second Test of the same series, his hostility again proved effective that troubled all Pakistani batsmen. Australia won the Test by nine wickets to take a lead of 2-0 in the three-match series.
If McGrath is a splendid pacer among the new-ball bowlers, still going strong at the age of 35 plus, how he compares with the giants of the recent past in Test cricket. Bradman had described Bedser (now Sir Alec Bedser) the best of his type since Maurice Tate after the Surrey bowler's 16 wickets in the 1946-47 Ashes rubber. Tate sent the stumps flying with an outswinger or break-back. But his best ball was the cutter which shook such skilful batsmen as Hobbs in the counties or Woodful and Ponsford of Australia in the Test skirmishes.
Bedser was respected by Sir Donald Breadman for his rhythmical action and the two-way swing. According to the Australian icon there was no safe stroke to make against the seam control of Bedser, having a weighty physique. Bedser troubled both Bradman and Morris but what was the result of his career's labour just 236 wickets in 51 Tests.
There was variety in his bowling and the cutters made his deliveries puzzling. Critics are at one to say that Bedser's bowling was always exceptionally magnificent, particularly in an era when the Australian batting was supposed to be solid as a rock.
The trio of post-Second World War fast bowlers that Australia produced - Lindwall, Miller and Johnston had downright hostility and venom which paid the dividends and adequate returns. All three were vehamently hostile bowlers, difficult to play. They radiated confidence with their precision, accuracy and aggression. Lindwall had a smooth action and would consistently worry the batsmen with his electric pace and control over line and length. But what was Lindwall's total bag during his Test career-228 wickets in 61 Tests.
Bill Johnston directed fast-medium swing at the batsmen. He gave a curious twist to his deliveries but the ball that was the main destructive weapon was the cutter.
Keith Miller with alarming velocity and variety in fast bowling would remove any batsman of exceptional technique and difficult to be trapped. There was pace and length and rise from the pitch that shook and harassed the batsmen. Miller's career haul was 170 wickets in 55 Tests.
Fazal Mahmood of Pakistan, one of the all-time great bowlers, moved his medium-pacers freely and disconcertingly to send batsmen pavilionward.
He had a splendid stamina and was a magnificent trier. Here again the Lahore bowler had the trump card in leg cutters which he fully exploited at Lucknow and latterly at the Oval against England. Though not a real express he was hostile and menacing. Against Australia at the National Stadium, Karachi, he throughout bowled in the two knocks to break the back of the visitors. This was in 1956 after his efforts at Lucknow and the Oval. Fazal was a legend. Yet what was the total aggregate during the whole career which spanned a decade - a bare 139 in 34 Tests.
The matches were lesser in number in those halcyon days otherwise the above mentioned bowlers would have reaped a much richer harvest and would have set record after record.
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