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Glenn McGrath was regarded as one of the most lethal pace bowlers in world cricket at one time. He was the leading pacer for Australia during his tenure. It wasn’t that he had tremendous speed; he was a medium pace bowler. But what did set him apart from most of his colleagues and counterparts was his precise lines and lengths.
Tall and lanky with a straight posture and coupling it with the perfect seam movement and bounce, McGrath had the ability to easily deceive opposition batters and also bowl on any kind of pitch without the slightest hesitation.
Let’s reflect on one of his past performances, as on February 27 in 2003, he recorded the best bowling figures ever bowled in a World Cup fixture.
It was the 31st clash of the World Cup 2003, played between Australia and Namibia in Potchefstroom. Opting to bat first, Australia posted a daunting total of 301/6 in their quota of 50 overs. Matthew Hayden was their best batter, scoring a sublime 88 of 73 deliveries.
For Namibia, who had qualified for the ICC World Cup for the very first time, this clash was no less than a nightmare, not only because of the mountaneous target they had to chase, but because of what was to transpire in their batting innings.
With the ball in hand, it turned out to be a Glenn McGrath-show which saw the Namibian batters completely surrender to the pace bowler. With precision and beauty McGrath bowled, and it was impossible for the Namibian batters to even read him, let alone play.
McGrath finished that match bagging seven wickets while giving away just 15 runs, bowling four maidens, which saw Namibia getting bundled out for a paltry 45 runs and handing Australia a whopping 256-run victory.
McGrath’s figures in that match still remain the best ever bowled in the 50-over World Cup history.
