The Glenn McGrath Myth

Every time someone accuses Indian bowlers for not bowling quick enough, a lot of people use Glenn McGrath to win that debate. It is a complete myth that he only relied on accuracy to get the batsman out. HE HAD PACE.

In fact, it wasn’t until he was into the twilight of his career that he started slowing down. In his younger days, he bowled 90MPH. In his early thirties, he bowled 85MPH with the odd effort ball @ 90MPH. He could up his pace when required.

Even if it was correct to say that he only relied on accuracy to get the batsman out (which it isn’t), can you name another one like him? Can you name another bowler who had no pace but was extremely successful? The answer to this is NO and this is because it is impossible to succeed at the highest level without pace. All the other greats of the game i.e The WI quicks, bowlers from pre WW 2 era, Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Alan Donald, Brett Lee, Dale Steyn, Jimmy Anderson had/have PACE, they could put batsmen on the back foot. Even Zaheer Khan who is regarded as one of the top 5 in the world today, can bowl 90MPH. He bowls mid 80s most of the time, but his effort ball touches 90MPH.

It boils my blood when I hear coaches telling young fast bowlers to bowl line and length and not to worry about pace. The truth is that pace is your express ticket to success. Pace is what distinguishes you from many others. Young fast bowlers should bowl as quick as they can. The quicker you bowl, the more bio mechanically correct your action is, the more repeatable your action is, your wrist is behind the ball, any swing or seam movement is exaggerated, any misjudgments by batsmen turn out to be their last of the innings.

A quick bowler can bowl slower whenever he chooses, but a slow bowler cannot bowl quick. A yorker at 90 MPH cannot be hit very far, but a yorker at 78MPH can be turned into a full toss.