Glenn McGrath: Australia's Line-and-Length Master — 563 Test Wickets, Four World Cup Titles

Glenn Donald McGrath was born on 9 February 1969 in Dubbo, New South Wales. He made his Test debut against New Zealand in Perth in November 1993 and his ODI debut in January 1993. He rose to become the defining fast-medium bowler of the 1990s and 2000s — his method was deceptively simple: relentless line, relentless length, movement off the seam and through the air, and unerring accuracy that wore down even the best batsmen. He was able to bowl a full session without a loose delivery.

563 Test Wickets and Four World Cup Titles

Glenn McGrath took 563 Test wickets at 21.64 — third-highest in Test history — with a strike rate of 51.9. His Test average of 21.64 is the lowest of any bowler with 300 or more Test wickets, reflecting not just volume but quality. He took 381 ODI wickets at 22.02 in 250 games. He was part of four consecutive World Cup winning squads (1999, 2003, 2007) and took 26 wickets in the 2007 World Cup — the most by any bowler in a single World Cup edition. He dismissed Sachin Tendulkar 12 times in international cricket — more than any other bowler. He played 124 Tests for Australia.

The Ashes and Legacy

Glenn McGrath's record in Ashes cricket was particularly dominant — he took 157 Ashes wickets at 20.92. Whenever he was absent from the Australian team through injury (notably the 2005 Ashes, when he stood on a ball in warm-ups and missed the series — Australia lost 2-1), Australia's bowling was significantly weakened. He and Shane Warne formed the most formidable bowling partnership in Test history. McGrath retired from all international cricket in January 2007 after Australia's 5-0 Ashes whitewash. He founded the McGrath Foundation for breast cancer care with his late wife Jane.