'Aussies don't dwell on past'

Gaurav Kalra: Hello and welcome to Cricket 360. It’s the day after the World Cup final and it’s also the day after Glenn McGrath’s international career has come to an end. Thank you very much for joining us.

Glenn McGrath: No worries, thank you.

Gaurav Kalra: Let me begin by asking you, it’s the night after. You guys have celebrated big. Give us a sense of what went on after you realised you had won the World Cup?

Glenn McGrath: Once we won and the presentation and everything was out of the way, we went to the rooms and stayed there for six hours or more and basically just enjoyed each other’s company, and made the most of it. So it’s nice doing those sorts of things, sort of in the change rooms, probably the last time I have been involved in that. So I really enjoyed it.

Gaurav Kalra: There must have been a sense in your mind as well, “I’m bowling so well.” In the final you predicted a five-for, which didn’t quite come off. But at least Australia won and this prediction came right. Did it ever cross your mind, bowling as well, that “maybe I can even reconsider now”?

Glenn McGrath: Yes, I could probably play for another two or three years then. The body feels great, and I still love playing. But it’s everything that goes with it, the time away from home, the travel, the training, and everything else. So for me, I want to spend more time at home with my wife Jane and my two kids. They are growing up, James is seven, my daughter Holly is five, so they are getting older and I want to spend more time with them.

Gaurav Kalra: Is he showing any signs of becoming a cricketer?

Glenn McGrath: He loves cricket. If he could play cricket, or go fishing everyday, then he’d be happy.

Gaurav Kalra: Does he bat a bit?

Glenn McGrath: He likes batting. But he’s not a bad bowler already.

Gaurav Kalra: Maybe we will see a McGrath playing for Australia with the bat this time. But you can’t get away from cricket. It’s been in your blood for the last few years, you have been outstanding at it of course, but do you see yourself in a role? There’s been talk, (Australia coach) Tim Nielsen made a comment that there is being talk of you being a bowling coach. Is that something that’s crossing your mind?

Glenn McGrath: I guess it could be an option. At the moment, the first thing I want to do is get away from cricket and spend some time at home. Maybe 6-12 months out of the game, then assess what I want to do and see what options come up in cricket. So, I still feel I have got a good role to play in cricket. But we will wait and see what happens.

Gaurav Kalra: Again, retirement is a good time to reflect your retirement from cricket. Give us a sense of the early years. You were a small-town boy; Australia is known to have players coming from the big cities so much. What happened in those early years, and how did you make it as far as you did?

Glenn McGrath: I grew up in a small country town, I always loved cricket, I always wanted to play cricket for Australia. And I think growing up in a bush makes you more determined, you have to do a little bit more. You have to travel four or five hours for a game of cricket. It’s pretty standard.

So it’s that sort of dedication that adds a little bit more to it. I got my chance when I was about 18, I was asked to move to Sydney to give cricket a go. I moved out when I was 19 and within four years I was playing for Australia. So it all went pretty quickly once I decided to move down.

Gaurav Kalra: Now this method – this Glenn McGrath-patented method of bowling that seems to have become a rage – but you are like a sombre man in your 30s now, but when you started off, were you a raging fast bowler who tried to knock batsmen’s heads off, or was it always this method – outside off, try and get the edge?

Glenn McGrath: I always tried to bowl pretty quick. I think in my early years, I was probably a bit quicker than I am now, but you try to be a bit aggressive as a fast bowler, but I think over the years you tend to learn a lot more about yourself and about your game. And those experiences sort of improve your game.

It’s all about experience, getting out there, listening to guys who have done it before, guys I have always looked up to like Dennis Lillee, then guys like Wasim Akram, current guys, guys with whom I started. That’s how you learn things, like I said, getting out there and doing it and learning from those experiences.

Gaurav Kalra: Do you knock anyone’s head off though? Were there some bloody noses in those early years?

Glenn McGrath: The helmets are pretty good these days (laughs). Yes, I have hit a few people in the head, in the helmet.

Gaurav Kalra: And followed it up with a verbal volley?

Glenn McGrath: No, I was pretty quite in my early days, decent sort of. But it’s part of the game I guess.

Gaurav Kalra: Let me ask you another thing. The one thing about Australian cricket that’s stood out and probably stood out on that last day in Sydney so much, was you when Shane Warne walked off together. It was a unique partnership, in a sense that there was this mystical leg-spin bowler and you were sort of this honest, line and length bowler who’s got his own set of skills, but doesn’t excite you in that same way. And I mean this as a compliment. What was your sense of working with Shane Warne?

Glenn McGrath: I think Shane and I worked very well together. They talk about fast bowlers Lillee-Thompson for Australia working together but I think the way Shane and I worked together was pretty good. I think generally we were quite similar bowlers in respect that we were quite accurate and could build pressure. When you have two bowlers building pressure then something's got to give.

Shane is a class bowler and in my eye one of the best ever if not the best. Bowling alongside him got me a lot of wickets as batsmen just tried to survive against Shane because of what he could do with the ball and his accuracy. He could land every ball where he wanted. I think building up pressure in that partnership got both of us wickets and it definitely got me wickets.

Gaurav Kalra: More importantly working in a partnership helped and you have made that point but also bringing a variety of skills to the cricket field. A lot of teams like South Africa talk of not having a big spinner in their ranks. This variety that Australian cricket had on offer with you and Warne together was a big impact on the win record that Australia had.

Glenn McGrath: Yes, massive. We had some quality fast bowlers and with Shane, who could turn on any wicket, we had every base covered. I think the Australian team were lucky because the calibre of Shane Warne meant we could play against any team with four bowlers. That’s all we needed. We could strengthen our batting order and I feel very luck to have played in such a successful era of Australian cricket.

Gaurav Kalra: Glenn, if you look at your career and all the wickets, you have nearly a 1,000 international wickets and that is an incredible record. Do you ever think about what you have managed to achieve individually and does it stagger you or was it a part of the course for you.

Glenn McGrath: I guess if you had asked me 14 years ago when I started my international career how I wanted it to turn out, it is not probably too different to what I wanted it to be. I think I was pretty focussed and had a clear plan as to what I wanted to achieve and there are times now when I sit back and think what I have achieved and what the team achieved and I nearly have to pinch myself to realise it is real.

I think we were just very focussed, looked to the next game, we learnt from our experience and really didn't dwell too much on the past. Now that I have retired maybe I can just sit back and reminisce just a little bit about what we have achieved in the last 10-15 years.

Gaurav Kalra: You have made the point 'what we have achieved' and Adam (Gilchrist) also made that point after he got the man of the match award in the final. The word 'we' is used a lot. In fact Australia take a great amount of pride in it. For instance you have won a Test series every where in the world, won three World Cups and that gives you more pleasure as it is a team sport than say 1,000 international wickets.

Glenn McGrath: Exactly, it is right. The thing that I miss most is being out in the middle performing, playing with my teammates and the celebrations in the room afterwards. So that is the good thing about team sports. When you are out there playing you have got 10 other teammates out there who are striving to help you out and if it getting a bit tough and you are tired the last thing you want is to let them down. You want to go that extra yard for them. So it is a win-win situation on both sides.

Gaurav Kalra: Do you sense that other international teams don't play like this? Is there a focus on too much individual records in cricket?

Glenn McGrath: I am not sure. It depends on the individuals. I have worked with the Australian team in this current World Cup and the thing that I have really enjoyed is Shaun Tait coming on the scene and doing well. He ended with 23 World Cup wickets, which is a huge effort. To see the young guys come through and being successful gives me a lot of satisfaction.

Gaurav Kalra: Let me ask you about India now as we come from there. You have had a lot of battles against India in India, in Australia and also at neutral venues. Some of your finest cricket came against India. Was it something that you always looked to doing?

Glenn McGrath: Very much so. To me being a fast bowler and to see where you are in the big picture, what type of fast bowler you are is to perform against the best batsmen in the world. You have got Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, VVS Laxman. Laxman’s played some pretty good series against us.

That is the true indication of what type of fast bowler, what type of team you are playing against the best guys in the world. I always enjoyed not only playing against India but playing in India as well because it offers something different from back home. The conditions are tough for the fast bowlers.

Gaurav Kalra: But in those tough conditions you have done well. What about Sachin Tendulkar? A lot of people ask about it as it is an enduring memory for anyone who has watched Glenn McGrath vs Sachin Tendulkar. It was fun for you as well?

Glenn McGrath: Yeah, I loved every minute of it. Hopefully Sachin enjoyed every now and then too. To me the two guys – Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara – are the standout players. Those two guys are the best batsmen in the world. That's the challenge that I enjoyed bowling to Sachin and hopefully getting him out or changing his gameplan or just tying him up. You tend to lift your game a bit when you are bowling to guys like that and I felt I did.

Gaurav Kalra: What do you reckon? Who won this one? Suppose it was like a Mohammad Ali vs Joe Frazer, it wouldn't be a knock out but do you think Glenn McGrath on points?

Glenn McGrath: I have had some success and there have been days when Sachin has had some success. I would probably say I have got it 55-45 in my favour.

Gaurav Kalra: That is going to make a headline in India. But how about Brian Lara – the other great modern gladiator? That was energetic and more of a combative contest because at times you had a go at each other verbally as well. Different to Sachin but a very special player who has finished his career in this World Cup.

Glenn McGrath: I think out of anyone in world cricket my biggest battles were against Brian Lara. I got him out quiet a few times and there were some days when he scored some big runs. I remember a couple of double hundreds. That was the biggest battle that I ever faced. Some days I walked away with his wicket and other days he got me.

Gaurav Kalra: Is that 55-45 to you?

Glenn McGrath: I would say 51-49 in my favour.

Gaurav Kalra: Now the difficult question maybe – the tag of the ugly Australians. It has gone off in the last couple of years, Steve Waugh mentioned it in his book. You also got tagged with that for being overtly aggressive on the field. Do you regret any of what happened in international cricket over the last few years?

Glenn McGrath: I think regret is probably a harsh word. There are a few days when you walk off the field after something has happened and you wish that it hadn't happened. I think I could have carried on or wish things were a little different there, but at the end of the day, I am who I am and I do share my emotions when I'm playing.

The Australian team does get labelled with that a little bit, but I think we don't say more than any team on the field. Maybe we are a little bit more upfront than other teams, but they still have a fair bit to say.

Gaurav Kalra: The word of course is ‘mental disintegration’ that Steve Waugh made popular and you worked under him as well. For instance, in the semi-final against South Africa, would you go there and say, "remember '99 boys?" That would still be okay, but would there be personal abuse at all, something that would probably be unacceptable and something you guys would regret later on?

Glenn McGrath: Yes, no one goes out there for personal abuse, I think that has no part in the game. Mental disintegration, gamesmanship, sledging or whatever you may call it, I have seen a lot of batsmen, a lot of players, if you say anything to them, it really makes them focus more and makes them more determined.

So, that could work against you, but other players get a lot nervous and change their gameplan that can work for you. You can't just go out and do a 'willy-nilly' because I know a lot of guys in the Australian team, if you really get stuck into them, it makes them a lot more focussed, a lot more determined, and your job as a bowler is twice as hard.

Gaurav Kalra: So which is your favourite one? Now that you are retired, you can tell us the favourite one you have tried, maybe one on Sachin Tendulkar?

Glenn McGrath: It wasn't too bad with Sachin, but there was one game where he was actually getting stuck into me - I didn't say anything to him before that. He was batting very well and having a go at me. It is a two-way straight; it's not one that stands out more than any other.

I don't go out there to give anyone a hard time, sometimes or probably a majority of the time with me, if I say something it's because I'm a bit frustrated, because they are actually batting so well. So if I start saying something to him, they probably should feel that they are slightly winning the battle sometimes.

Gaurav Kalra: Three straight World Cups, I know you shouldn't be worried about this, but the world should be worried in a certain sense because Australia have won the last two without losing a game. They have not just lost a game, they haven't actually been challenged in this World Cup. There hasn't been a 10-run game or a one-wicket game. Do you sense now that the world needs to really catch up, if Australian cricket needs to be challenged, or is it going to go on this way?

Glenn McGrath: I think the other teams will learn a lot by watching the current Australian team at the moment. It's up to them to put things in place and really lift, and work out how to beat this Australian team. The Australian team has got a good mix of experienced players and youth, but our average age is a lot older than any other team.

I think over the next few years there's going to be a big turnover of players in the Australian team and how those young guys come through, we'll see how things go then. But when a few senior players finally hand their boots up, I guess it changes the way how others team view the Australian team. We'll see what happens then.

Gaurav Kalra: But in your previous interviews with us, you have been pretty confident about how younger guys are coming through, especially in the fast bowling resources, it doesn't worry you at all. You can sit back on a bed in Sydney and the Mitchell Johnsons and the Shaun Taits of the world just rip across batting orders.

Glenn McGrath: To me, there are plenty of young guys coming through, but they are also going to stamp the way they play the game and get a bit of an oil or a bit of a mental edge. I remember playing West Indies and they had some great young bowlers coming through. Curtly Ambrose was still playing, but as soon as Curtly was ruled out of the match, it made us think their game was over there and then, because of the aura Curtly had about him.

And a lot of these Australian players, especially the senior guys have a lot of aura about them, but if you replace that with a young guy with the same ability, if not more, it changes the way the oppositions view that team. They don't have that same aura, that same thought process that of a Matthew Hayden or an Adam Gilchrist or Ricky Ponting, who over the years have built up that aura in them. That's what the mental side of this game is all about. So to me that plays a big part in this game.

Gaurav Kalra: Final thoughts now. Twenty20 World Cup coming up, that's the one other thing I wanted to ask you on, that's the one championship crown that won't be in your bag, so mayebe if Ricky (Ponting) calls up and says "okay, just show up for the Twenty20 World Cup", maybe you'll think about it?

Glenn McGrath: No. I'm happy with the way I am at the moment. I guess I am an ex-cricketer as of now. I have really enjoyed this World Cup and I think the reason why probably I have been successful was because retirement was just around the corner.

I just wanted to go out there and make the most of it. I really enjoyed it; I have probably been more relaxed in this World Cup than in any other competition that I have been involved in, and to me this is the perfect way to finish. That's it. No more. It's time for the young guys to take over.

Gaurav Kalra: You couldn't have put it better yourself. Thank you so much Glenn, the aura has been all about you.

Glenn McGrath: Thank you.

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