A fast-bowling pair like no other

For a generation of cricket-fans, Lee and Mcgrath defined speed, accuracy and the art of fast bowling

By Anish Pathiyil

‘Fast bowlers usually hunt in pairs’ is a very well known cliche in the world of cricket. The most successful bowlers in the history of the game always had a partner in crime. There is always a Thompson for every Lillee, a Nawaz for every Imran Khan, a Southee for every Boult. This two-pronged attack from both ends of the wicket is instrumental in setting up the world’s best batsmen and sending them back to the pavilion. The two bowlers need not always be similar in their methods, they often have different skills in their repertoire, making it even harder for the batsmen to adjust to their bowling. One of the best examples for two differently-skilled bowlers forming a formidable pairing, is the case of Australian legends Glenn Mcgrath and Brett Lee.

Glenn Mcgrath was the poster boy of accuracy in line and length. The top of off-stump was his regular area of attack, with batsmen having to work extremely hard to keep him at bay. Brett Lee on the other hand was all about brute pace. His fiery bouncers and fast-paced fuller length deliveries both had batsmen on their toes trying to navigate the deliveries thrown at them and protect their wicket. The two were the spine of the world-class Australian attack that dominated cricket for more than a decade. Three continuous ODI world cup wins cements their legacy in arguably the greatest side ever to play the game.

Mcgrath’s career took off at a rapid rate. He made his New South Wales debut in 1992/93 and made his Australian debut after just eight first-class matches. For the next 12-odd years, he spearheaded the Australian attack in both the test and ODI formats, except when he was injured or he was beside his ailing wife. McGrath reached the landmark of 500 test wickets in the first test of the Ashes at Lords. He ended his career with a historic 5-0 drubbing of England in the 2006/07 Ashes down under, ending with a record 563 test wickets with a jaw-dropping average of 21.64. His final bow in the ODI game was in the victorious 2007 ODI World cup, where he was adjudged the man of the tournament.

Lee was slightly late into the international scene. He made his test debut under the captaincy of Steve Waugh in 1999, three years after his first class debut. He became the first Australian to take a five-fer on debut since Dennis Lillee, versus the touring Indians. His career was interrupted intermittently by a host of injuries hampering his rise to the top. Lee stepped up as the leader of the pack after Mcgrath’s retirement, especially in the ODI format. His ability to hit 150 kmph with a brilliant outswinger along with the rare skill of reverse swinging the old ball made him an asset for Ricky Ponting’s Australian team. He ended up level with Mcgrath as the joint top-wicket taker for Australia in ODIs with 380 scalps. His lower order contributions must also be given its due, bailing Australia out of difficult situations, on one instance saving an Ashes test with our other protagonist Mcgrath at the other end.

The duo of Mcgrath and Lee must surely be in contention for the debate on the greatest bowling pairs, simply because of the accolades they managed to win together and the variety in skill they brought to the team. Very few bowlers have managed the longevity and the performances these two produced in an Australian shirt. The two are giving back to the game after retirement, Mcgrath as the head of the MRF pace foundation in Chennai and Lee as a commentator and analyst on television.