“We’ve got to keep making ODIs interesting,” says former Australian pacer Glenn McGrath.Fast bowling legend from Australia Glenn McGrath is still a fan of the 50-over format, but he admits that it faces a formidable challenge.
Glenn McGrath, the great Australian fast bowler, is still a fan of the 50-over format, but admits that it faces a daunting challenge from the exponential popularity of T20 cricket. The ‘Director of Coaching’ at the MRF Pace Foundation, a traditionalist by nature, believes that Test cricket is still the “ultimate test” of a cricketer.
“I am a staunch traditionalist.” I enjoy Tests and ODIs. To me, test cricket is still the pinnacle. ‘I hope it is protect and still held in high regard,’ McGrath said during an interview with reporters.
The One-Day Internationals are still exciting as long as they are scoring runs. It will be interesting to see where the future of ODIs goes. They must continue to make ODIs exciting. They face a number of challenges,” he added.
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McGrath will not be surprised if many young players start opting for T20 Internationals due to workload concerns.
“I’d like to believe so. Teams now have separate T20 and ODI squads…they’re getting closer to being more specific. Isn’t it true that money is made in T20 cricket? To be honest, a lot of players, especially young players, will look to play T20s.” McGrath, who will be leaving the MRF academy after a decade, said he enjoy his time there and was proud of players like Prasidh Krishna and Avesh Khan who went on to represent India.
“It’s been ten years (laughs)…the last two have been a little sketchy.” It’s been fantastic. It was enjoyable for me. Our goal was to carry on what Dennis (Lillee) had started.
“I knew I couldn’t just walk into those shoes.” In my opinion, he (Lillee) is the best pace bowling coach. It is about teaching the next generation of young men to be self-sufficient.” McGrath is please that the Foundation has maintain its high standards and guft Indian cricket, a group of quality speed merchants.
“To see 29 of our boys and ex-boys playing in the recent IPL was a proud moment. Prasidh and Avesh representing India in limited overs cricket. I am really proud of them…proud of all the boys,” McGrath, who took over from Lillee, added.
He said Indian captain Rohit Sharma finding some form after his recent struggles with bat was good news.
“I believe it is good news. He’s a gentleman. You want him to succeed. You want to see the seniors succeed. Shubman Gill scored well the other day in the West Indies. In the West Indies, the batsmen are doing their jobs.” McGrath said of Hardik Pandya’s return from injury and his all-round performances, “Cricket is very much a confidence sport.” Hardik is a player who exudes confidence. Bowling well has a positive effect on his batting.
“He’s a two-for-one player.” He’s a treat. He is a strong hitter and a good, intelligent bowler. He has a solid game plan.”
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