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| January 06, 2007 | Saturday | Zilhaj 15, 1427 |
McGrath bows out with last ball flourish
SYDNEY, Jan 5: Veteran Australian paceman Glenn McGrath left Test cricket in style on Friday, snaring a wicket with his last ball to take his tally of Test victims to 563, the world record for a fast bowler.
The 36-year-old has played in 124 Tests since his debut against New Zealand in November 1993, with his wickets coming at an average of 21.64 runs.
Nicknamed ‘Pigeon’ by team-mates due to his spindly legs, McGrath constantly troubled batsmen with his unerringly accurate line and length.
He and spinner Shane Warne, who is also retiring, formed a fearsome partnership that helped Australia dominate Test cricket for more than a decade.
“I guess if you had to write the script for the perfect ending, obviously to get a wicket on your last ball of Test cricket is the perfect way to do it,” he said. “Obviously, seeing off-stump cartwheel back is probably the perfect scenario, but a slower ball caught at mid-on, I'll take that.” McGrath, who will still bowl in Australia's one-day team until after this year's World Cup in the West Indies, said his Test retirement had not yet sunk in. “It will hit me more later down the track,” he stated.—AFP
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