The MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai is nestled in one corner of a vast playing field that belongs to the Madras Christian College. Inside its compound wall, eight aspiring fast bowlers are huddled together, their attention focussed on the inputs they are receiving. Students from the nearby school that belongs to the MCC trust also try to get a glimpse of what is happening. It is evident that they are under the guidance of a pace bowling legend.
But those at the academy, which was launched in 1987, say it is like any other day. The trainees spend a good part of the morning at the gym, followed by endurance training. By afternoon, Chennai’s relentless heat notwithstanding, they’re back to specifics – fast bowling. As Glenn McGrath, the director, carefully watches each bowler go through his drills, he makes notes, sometimes shares his observations with the assistant coach, and then has a one-on-one with the bowlers.
As the session draws to a close with cooling down exercises in the swimming pool, the lighter side of McGrath surfaces. All the while though, it is evident that there is genuine respect for him. After all, for a generation that missed watching the fearsome West Indies pace quartet of the 1980s, McGrath was one of the world’s greatest fast bowlers, one of the key players in an Australian side that dominated world cricket for more than a decade.
After a long day, McGrath still had the energy and the enthusiasm to chat with Wisden India about the art of fast bowling, the mental and physical aspects needed to succeed at the highest level, the methods that helped him pick up 563 Test wickets and much more. Excerpts:
Cricketers have their own unique way of preparing for a game. What was your pre-match routine like?
I always tried to prepare as well as I could. When you get onto a cricket field, the last thing you want is self-doubts. I hated going on to the field and thinking about something I could have done, because that would in turn affect the way I would bowl. So, I gave myself all the time in the world to get into my zone before match day. I’d train light, have a swim and then on the morning of the match, have a set routine 90 minutes before the bus left the hotel. Light stretching in the gym, breakfast and shower was all I did. I would then visualise a bit and get my mental make-up right. It was just that simple really. The more you clutter your brain with things not in your control, the more you would never get it right in a match situation. So preparation is the key – whether you’re going to bat, bowl or field.
What are the vital ingredients for a fast bowler?
It’s about the basics. You don’t want to reinvent the wheel, so it is about gaining control; being able to hit your three lengths – good length, bouncer and yorker – at will. If you can add a couple of slower variations to these, then you’ve got the perfect ingredients. But of course, we know just having the ingredients doesn’t necessarily mean you have the best dish.
You need to get it right day in and day out, so much that when you start your run-up, you know what exactly you want to do and get it in that spot. It must become your second nature, and that comes only with plenty of practice. The more you bowl, the better you will get. Also, the trick is to develop one stock ball, if it’s inswing, just focus on getting that right. Master one aspect of your bowling and then move on to the next. With the new ball, control is the most important thing. You don’t want a batsman to feel he has an easy chance of getting across to the other end. So the key is to ensure you understand your strengths, work on them, and then ensure you execute well in a match situation before trying to work on other aspects.
Aggression is a common trait of most fast bowlers. Were you always aggressive and in the batsman’s face, or was it a trait you developed in order to gain a mental edge?
Fast bowling is about aggression. Batsmen pick up a lot of things just by observing a fast bowler’s body language. You have to show intent in every little detail. The way you run in, the way you carry yourself – it’s not just about sledging, and never about abuse. You can talk all you want, but you need to back it up as well. For that, you need attacking fields and set plans. You can’t keep smiling around in the outfield or with the ball in hand and try to outscore the batsman by trying to be a nice guy. Your body language should show intent, and that to me is as important as the skills you are known for. You don’t want to be exchanging pleasantries and in the process bowl half-volleys, you’ll get whacked.
How long did it take for you to assess a surface? Let’s take Perth and Sydney for example. Was your approach specific to the pitch you had to bowl on?
By the end of the first couple of overs, you should know how the pitch is behaving. I used to hit the deck hard and get it on top of offstump and just outside to gauge how the surface was behaving. That, on every pitch is slightly different. If the pitch is doing more, you have to just keep it simple. If there is nothing in it, you have to find ways of attacking the stumps, keeping things tight, build pressure and try to nip them out.
I also used to observe how many paces behind the wicketkeeper was standing and at what height he was collecting it. To observe the finer aspects you have to be in the game at all times. It’s just not about running in, bowling the ball in one particular spot, and turning away to bowl another one. All these small factors make fast bowling an art, and one that is tough to master.
Your wrist position was immaculate. Was it natural or something you had to work really hard for?
Most fast bowling traits are developed during the formative years, and fortunately for me, a lot of my natural traits that I developed were fundamentally strong, because I didn’t have formal coaching as a bowler till I was 22. So I didn’t model myself on anyone; my body found the most natural way to bowl and I think I did okay. When I went to the academy, I was lucky to work with some wonderful coaches. It was just about refinements, how to get the most out of your action and be able to come back and bowl longer spells and bowl just as quick in the second and third spells as I did in my opening spell.
Who were your childhood heroes while growing up?
Dennis Lillee was my idol. He was aggressive and charismatic; a real character on the field, and in cricket, you need those characters. You don’t want a bunch of robots running around. So everything he did had an influence on me, and I was fortunate enough to work with him just before my national selection, at the academy. I think he is one of the best bowling coaches in the world and a lot of fast bowlers, not just from Australia, have benefited immensely. I also admired the West Indies greats of the 1980s – Michael Holding, Andy Roberts, Joel Garner, Malcolm Marshall and Colin Croft – those guys were incredible.
How did you go about setting up a batsman? Did you, sometimes, sense genuine fear?
My first impression of a batsman, unless he was No.11 who was as hopeless as me, was formed by just observing simple things like his footwork. You bowl full and see where his feet move, how he is reacting to the ball and what his response to a short ball is. As simple as it sounds, it’s a pressure game and that is why bowling, like batting, is about partnerships. That is where I benefitted immensely, with someone like Shane Warne.
If you look at bowling partnerships during your time, Pakistan had Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis. West Indies had Curtly Ambrose and Courtney Walsh. In comparison, how did the dynamics of a pace-spin combination work?
Even though we had different styles, we had a similar mindset. We had good control and could build pressure. I always wanted aggressive fields. Have plenty of catchers because I wanted the batsman out bowled, lbw or caught in the cordon behind the wicket. I felt if I wasn’t bowling in those areas, I was giving away easy runs. If they were vulnerable, then they would normally fall to these plans. So as much as the key is to bowl the ball in the right areas, it is about having attacking fields and giving an impression to the batsman that we’re on his throat and if he’s good enough to survive, good luck to him.
In your initial years, there wasn’t as much emphasis on video analysis and biomechanics as there is now. How did you reflect on your bowling performance in order to get better?
I used to sit back by myself and think about how each day panned out for me. My goal was to bowl the perfect day, each day, where every ball landed where I wanted it to, because that is all you can control. If you do that, the wickets will come. I knew how it went before I walked off the field. Whatever situations I got into, I tried to back myself, try to learn from that and understand what worked for me. I worked out fairly quickly why I had a good day and why I had a bad day. Once I did that, I relaxed. When I bowled well, all I was thinking about was what I wanted the ball to do. When I was bowling badly, I was thinking of trying to pull down my front arm, get the follow through right and rebuild rhythm. This was a cycle I religiously followed.
Today, there’s so much talk of team culture. Some have protocols in place, others don’t. You played under different captains. Can you give us a peek into the team’s mindset at various stages through your career?
The team culture in all the Australian teams I’ve been a part of was just brilliant. That helped young players come in and adapt and adjust faster, not just within the dressing room, but also on the playing field. Each of the captains I played under contributed immensely towards that.
I started off with Allan Border. He made an average side into a good side, and by the time he passed on the mantle to Mark Taylor, we were an excellent side. A few years later, when Steve Waugh took over, we were known for our ruthlessness. The mindset was such that we never took a backward step, whatever the situation was. We wanted to not just go for a win from ball one but just crush the opposition. That gave an air of intimidation to the opponents, which was again due to the brand of cricket we played.
Finally towards the end, I thought Ricky Ponting took that legacy forward. He did a wonderful job, winning two World Cups, winning in India after a long time. He also handled the team superbly around the time seven senior players retired over a two-year period. So each of the captains I played under contributed immensely towards Australian cricket, the dressing room culture, and the environment and just the way we played our cricket.
Who were the best batsmen you bowled to?
It would be hard to look beyond Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar to me. What I loved about bowling to them was the challenge; just the way they went about their games kept me on my toes all the time. Sachin’s longevity is just amazing. 24 years of top-flight cricket is no joke. He was technically very good, but very strong mentally as well. Brian Lara also had these traits, but he was more flamboyant. He wanted to dominate and play all the shots in the book. You weren’t sure what you’d get with those two. Also, I think someone like Rahul Dravid was outstanding as well. He doesn’t get the acknowledgment that he should. He was a quality player and very hard to dislodge once he got himself in. He really tested you to the limit if it was his day.
What were your biggest challenges while bowling in the subcontinent, as compared to bowling elsewhere?
You’d never be able to get the kind of wickets in one country like you would in another. So you need to find ways to use the conditions and look for positives. In Australia, there is generally good bounce, so the more you put in, the more you will get out of it. Whereas in India, the quicker you bowl or the more you try to work yourself through, it gets that much more easier for the batsman to hit through the line because of the bounce factor. So then, you have to see how to cut down scoring opportunities, attack the stumps, keep things tight and bring reverse swing into play if you were bowling on an abrasive surface. But again, all this would come only with experience.
You suffered a number of injuries early on in your career. Did that cast apprehensions in your mind when you returned to play after a layoff?
I had a couple of injuries early on in my career, which took a bit of toll on me. I tore my intercostal muscle and had to come back from the West Indies in 1995. It was quite serious, because I wasn’t able to generate power from the sides. I weighed 77 kilos, 25 less than I needed to be. It was then that I realized I needed to do something about my endurance levels if I wanted to play international cricket. I went back and worked as hard as I could and my trainer tried to make me unbreakable. From there on, I rarely missed a game due to injury, apart from the ankle spurts I got occasionally due to over-bowling. But once I got them fixed, I was fit for 95 percent of my 124 Tests.
There’s a perception that, these days especially, fast bowlers who are gym-fit aren’t necessarily match-fit. What is your take on the issue?
In whatever you do, you need a balance. I know it’s being talked about quite a bit, but from my experience, I can tell you my gym routine was as important, if not more, as my bowling routine. I spent as much time in the gym as I did while bowling and training in the nets. You also need to know what kind of work you need to do in the gym in order to be match-fit. It’s just not about bulking up. In my case, there were specifics, the old-fashioned core strengths – squats, dips, deadlifts, chin-ups and clean press. I tried to get as strong as possible in the legs and glutes because they are important for a fast bowler. Ideally, every aspect of fitness is important in my view.
You took charge at the MRF Pace Foundation two years ago. What is your view of the stream of talent coming through?
I first came here in 1992 as a young hopeful who wanted to play for Australia. I enjoyed working with Dennis Lillee. I was a little apprehensive when the offer came from him to take over, but once I got here and saw how the coaches and trainers went about their work, I was super impressed. Also, the facilities here are outstanding.
The amount I have learnt about fast bowling in the last two years is just amazing; I wish I knew this much during my playing days. So hopefully my experience of the mental and the technical side of things is what I want to pass on to the aspirants. The boys are keen to learn and that shows in their attitude towards training. Hopefully, going forward many of them will play for India. I’ve been very impressed with Varun Aaron, I think he did an exceptional job (in England). You’ve got Ishwar Pandey, who is on the fringes of national selection. I have no doubts in my mind whatsoever that he will do very well when he gets the opportunity.
What is the central message you give to your trainees?
The subcontinent is a tough place to be a fast bowler, no doubt. But that doesn’t mean you cut down on your pace. I’d ideally like to sit down and see how they go about their work. I’ve always believed, once you get into the national team, you need to work twice as hard as you did to get there. That means you need to put a lot of work at training, on the field, with the trainer. During my playing days, I used to look forward to the cricket season starting so that I could have a break from training. So that attitude helped me stand in good stead. So the key is to mix all these things to make you an allround bowler. Cutting down on pace because the conditions aren’t conducive to your style isn’t the solution.
Who would you pick as your top four sides for the 2015 World Cup?
I’d never go past Australia (laughs). They will have the home advantage and have a tremendous bowling group. South Africa, I think, is the best allround one-day side at the moment and will be extremely tough to beat. India look far superior in ODIs than they do in Tests, and a lot will depend on how they go in Australia initially (during the tour in December). If they start well, they’ll be fine, otherwise they will have a lot of catching up to do as the lengthy season progresses. And of course West Indies are the dark horses. They are more than capable of pulling something out of the hat.
Apart from your role as a coach, mentor and expert, you’re actively involved with the Jane McGrath foundation. Is that the most satisfying role you’ve played post-retirement?
The foundation was launched in 2005. It is very close to my heart and I’ve been heavily involved with it. Her battle transformed my outlook. It is a legacy for my family and more importantly for my children. They enjoy the third day of the Sydney Test every year. It is a celebration for their mother and everything she taught them. The kind of support we’ve received from within Australia and outside has been tremendous. We raise about 12 million dollars every year, and 25,000 families around Australia have benefited.
