The complete pacer in the current group is Australia’s Pat Cummins, says the legendary Glenn McGrath, who thinks bowlers are usually “better blokes” and more hardworking than batsmen.
McGrath answered a few rapid-fire questions in an exclusive interview, let’s see some of those excerpts here:
Asked to name the world’s most complete bowler in cricket now, McGrath replied: “Pat Cummins. I like the way he goes.” Cummins is currently no.1 in the ICC Test rankings and is in the fourth position in the ODI list.
One of the best fast bowlers in the 1990s till the late 2000s, McGrath also tackled his era’s big debate — Who was more difficult to bowl at, Sachin Tendulkar or Brian Lara?
“Tough,” he said to choose between the two icons when asked to.
“I’d just (a bit) go with Lara from my experience. Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid will be the hat-trick wish-list.”
Asked if there was any delivery missing from his armoury, he cheekily replied: “100 miles per hour delivery.”
The bowlers, he claims, work much harder than batsmen.
“Fast bowlers are better blokes, they work harder, and batsmen expect everything,” he said.
“The legendary pacer said he would never do it”. Asked if he would indulge a batsman in ‘Mankading’ in a World Cup final where he has to get the last wicket but with just two runs to protect.
He also thinks that he would like the iconic funny-man to play his role after seeing the performance of Jim Carrey in ‘Dumb and Dumber,’ if a biopic is ever made on him. “His other options are Brad Pitt or Hugh Jackman.
Unknown to be an extravagant dresser, McGrath said he likes to wear the Indian designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee outfits.
Apart from cricket, Jamaican sprint king Usain Bolt, tennis star Roger Federer and five-time Olympic champion rower Steve Redgrave are among the sporting icons he has felt privileged to meet.
