Test of Will

by Glenn McGrath

  I wish I had known when I played what I’ve learnt since taking on the role at the foundation. I think I could’ve done more with my action and perhaps bowled a little bit quicker. When I look back on my action, there were times when I jumped into the wicket and I was too close to the stumps. I jumped in and came around myself. I didn’t fall away too much despite doing that because I had a strong core. That allowed me to hold myself quite well and drive through the crease. I would have preferred to go through the crease straighter, which would’ve allowed me to finish better and probably even swing the ball more. However, the quandary for me as a coach is this: if I was to look at that action, I’d realise that jumping in allowed me to come across myself, which then allowed for the ball to hit the wicket and seam away from the left-hander. This action earned me a lot of wickets. I think it highlights that coaches need to realise there’s a bit of give and take. While I’ll push and push a young bowler to strive for perfection, I’m too long retired to hit the nets myself to see whether tinkering with my own action would’ve made me even more successful.

  I enjoy working with the Indian boys that are sent by their state association to trial at the foundation. We spend time videoing them so that we can do a thorough analysis of their action and then offer directions on how they can improve. A lot of work is done on the centre wicket, because we’ve realised a lot of bowlers look different in a match situation compared to how they might perform in the nets. Something I’ve learnt to think about when I watch a young bloke bowl is injury prevention. Efficiency is the key. I’m trying to impart that to the bowlers, just as I’m instilling in them the importance of the thought process and how that can help them get wickets. There are some quality bowlers coming through, but the hunt for that kid who can bowl in excess of 150 km/h continues. I don’t know if it’s due to diet or genes, but it’s a mystery why India struggles to produce those pacemen with the X-factor. You look across the border into Pakistan and they develop express quicks. I know the people in the north are taller than most people in India, and I imagine that’s an area the foundation will again target. I have seen a lot of positives at the foundation that suggests to me that India will improve its depth of quality quicks. Their fast bowlers aren’t scared to work hard, they respond well to advice, they’re hungry to succeed and they have an obvious passion to want to help India dominate world cricket—I see that in their actions. While I’m starting to get a good feel for coaching, I realise it’ll take time and much more experience before I’m confident that everything is in order. At the moment I am drawing upon my own experiences and sometimes I hear myself reciting what I set out as my ten golden rules in my first book The Pacemaker: The inner thoughts of Glenn McGrath. I’ve found they’re as applicable to my new role as a coach as when I played:

  1. Keep everything simple, don’t complicate things for the sake of it.

  2. Work hard off the paddock to improve your skills and fitness.

  3. Exercise patience and control over haste and aggression.

  4. Always strive to improve. No matter how you progress in cricket—or life—there is always something new to learn.

  5. Enjoy life, and be sure the main reason for playing cricket is because you enjoy it.

  6. In life—and cricket—don’t worry about things you have no control over. That is wasted energy and does nothing to change a situation.

  7. Be a team player and try to ensure your individual actions in batting, bowling and fielding count for the good of the team.

  8. Never give up. As a fast bowler I always remember it only takes one ball to dismiss a batsman no matter how good he may be.

  9. Don’t ever let your fieldsmen see you drop your head when you’re doing it tough. Let them know by walking tall that you’re not going to wave the white flag because that will inspire them to also give their all.

  10. Always remember your teammates and umpires are human. Umpires will sometimes make mistakes and fielders will drop the occasional catch.

  I have no doubt I’ll add a few more golden rules over the coming years as I gain more insight as a coach. I’m a long way from being like Dennis—able to sum up the problems of a fast bowler with a quick glance at his run-up and delivery. But I’m getting a lot better at reading the telltale signs of a bowler with problems. I am relying heavily on slow-motion vision at the moment, but I’m learning, and I am glad the recommendations I’m making are helping the bowlers.

  What I learnt from procrastinating over the offer to try something new at the MRF Pace Foundation is that there is paralysis through analysis. Despite my initial fears, I’m loving my role as a coach. I realise I have a lot to offer and I’ve already seen where I’ve been able to help a few bowlers improve, and it’s rewarding. I’m looking forward to undertaking courses such as my Level 3 coaching certificate through Cricket Australia. This will ensure I have the textbook side of coaching up to scratch. But the greatest indication that I’m doing okay has come from my son James, as I’ve helped him to work on his fast-bowling action to avoid the stress fractures he’s suffered in the past. It pleases me to say that since I started at the foundation, he hasn’t once said ‘What would you know about bowling, anyway?’ when I’ve offered him my advice.

  12

  GAMESMANSHIP NOT SLEDGING

  Send-offs are send-offs. It’s not something we’re necessarily concerned about. The focus should be on how well Australia played rather than those minor issues. I don’t want to go too deep into that.

  —New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum on the send-offs his players received in the 2015 World Cup

  The Australians proved to be the dominant team in the 2015 World Cup by defeating New Zealand—installed by many as the favourites based on their form going into the decider—in what turned out to be a one-sided final at the MCG. It was a great victory, but Michael Clarke’s men were condemned in the court of public opinion for being too aggressive and for displaying their obvious will to win. That was a reaction I found quite strange.

  Wicketkeeper Brad Haddin was hammered because he told a Sydney radio station (after a big night celebrating) that the reason he gave some of the Kiwis send-offs—including their outgoing skipper Daniel Vettori (one of cricket’s loveliest blokes)—was because he felt ‘uncomfortable’ about the way the Aussies were treated in New Zealand prior to their pool match against the home team. He told the radio station that the Kiwi hosts were ‘too nice’ in the lead-up to Australia’s loss, and he apparently declared in the team meeting after that defeat that he’d ‘go’ at them as hard as he possibly could if the two teams met in the final. And true to his word, Brad did.

  I haven’t spoken to Brad about that incident, but what I’ll say is that I’ve always found ‘Hadds’ to be a decent bloke. While he retired after the 2015 Ashes series, he’ll be remembered as an old-school competitor, a champion keeper and also a great leader. Maybe he thought the Australians needed to play with more intensity in the final than they did in the pool game, but I really don’t know.

  What I do know is that how a player behaves on the field is up to him, and guys go about things differently. Some will expose their soul, warts and all, while others prefer to keep to themselves. There’s an old saying in sport that nice guys finish second, and I’ve found in the majority of cases that rings true. However, I also learnt that sledging doesn’t win games; it’s how players perform under pressure that does. When the Australians qualified for the final against New Zealand they were never going to give the Kiwis an easy ride, because if Michael Clarke’s men knew one thing, it was how to win.

  Despite the collective wringing of hands in Australia after the World Cup final, I found it very interesting that India’s captain Virat Kohli was quoted in an article on Indianexpress.com saying he envied aspects of the Australian game. He said that he even wanted to include some of those aspects in India’s game so they could dominate world cricket for the next five years. I respect Kohli—from what I’ve seen of him he’s a player with a winning at
titude and he seems to have the gumption to get through the tough times and to also dish ‘it’ out. Sometimes it seems to me he might even get the first barb in. However, I felt pleased to learn he saw good things in the Australian game. He was quoted as saying: ‘On the field you see them [Australia] play and you think like, damn, that’s a unit, we have to play our bloody best to beat these guys. I want that to happen to Indian cricket.’ Based on that, I guess the message from India is it’s really not all bad.

  While the world’s media seems to focus on the Aussie team’s sledging I’m very proud of the current team for a few reasons. The way in which they rebuilt so quickly to fill the holes left by a number of retirements was incredible. Many people predicted they’d be the whipping boys of cricket as the new blokes found their feet in the team, but that proved not to be the case. We’ve had world-class bowlers such as Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins emerge to complement Mitchell Johnson and the recently retired Ryan Harris. Steve Smith continues to go from strength to strength. Adam Voges, at 35, made a century on his debut in the West Indies during the 2015 tour. Michael Clarke and Brad Haddin provided a tough lustre before their retirements. And there’s a lot to be confident about in the team’s future when you realise we have guys such as Peter Nevill, Mitchell Marsh, Jordan Silk, Nic Maddinson and Sean Abbott all making good noises at first-class level. However, time changes everything and I reckon the culture of the Australian team is altering ever so slightly. While the ties that bind the team remain tight, I’ve noticed that the players aren’t in the dressing sheds until 2 am after a match like we were back in the day. Although I heard they were in the dressing room for a few hours after destroying England in the Second Test at Lord’s in 2015. I’m not suggesting a team’s harmony or its strength should be judged on something like that, but I do think some issues from recent times ought to have remained in-house and should never have been played out in public, such as the supposed problems between Shane Watson and Clarke.

  The revelation that there was a rift shocked a lot of observers because they don’t expect that from the Australian cricket team. Even though the team had some big personalities when I played, there were never too many ‘issues’. Everyone pulled together because it was all about the end goal, and we wanted to do as well for each other as much as we desired personal success. I’m sure it’s the same for the current players, but one of the biggest issues they need to contend with is social media. It can turn a sniff of a rumour into an ironclad fact, and no one seems accountable for what they might post, even if it’s proven to be completely wrong and hurtful.

  Something I believe was a real boon for Australia after the Mickey Arthur era—where an embarrassing lowlight was the instance of Shane Watson, James Pattinson, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Johnson being stood down from the third Test during the 2013 tour of India for not doing their homework—was the appointment of my old teammate Darren Lehmann as head coach. ‘Boof ’ was always a person who’d understand the team and what was needed for them to perform at their best. He’s provided an environment where his players can be successful because they’re allowed to relax and are free to enjoy themselves and the experience.

  I think it’s fair to say that the Australian team was in a state of disarray when Darren signed on, but since his arrival it’s as though the weight has been taken off the team’s collective shoulders—Michael Clarke appeared more relaxed, while the team seems overall to be happier and are back to playing their ‘normal’ game. That’s not to suggest Mickey Arthur isn’t a good coach—under his stewardship South Africa became the world’s No. 1 one-day international team in 2006 and enjoyed an unbeaten streak of nine Test series—but sometimes, for whatever reason, personalities and teams just don’t gel. In Lehmann, Australia has a coach who can handle pressure, who stands by his decisions, who can deliver bad news but at the same time enjoy the respect of his players; and the team’s performances reflect that.

  I rated Michael Clarke’s captaincy very highly. ‘Pup’ is someone I class as a mate, and I can say without fear of contradiction that he’s never been short on confidence. I think you can see the obvious influence Shane Warne has had on him, because Warnie took him under his wing early in his career and I reckon that’s been a real positive for him. Apart from his feats for Australia, you only need to see what Shane achieved while he was at the English County team, Hampshire, to appreciate how well he understood the tactics of cricket, the psychology of the game and the personalities of his players. I think he passed on some great advice to Michael, but that’s not to suggest Pup wasn’t his own man. He’s a great leader, he has strong views, is a good cricket brain, and, in the spirit of the likes of Border, Taylor, Waugh and Ponting, he too leads by example.

  It’s clear Steve Smith’s appointment as captain sits well with me. I’ve known ‘Smithy’ for quite a while because, apart from being looked after by my manager Warren Craig, he also plays for my old first-grade club, Sutherland. He was identified as a rare talent a decade ago and was given a taste of captaining a senior team when he was named the leader of Sutherland’s first-grade team at 19 years of age. He’s a lot more introverted than Pup, and had the pair been playing during my era, when the national team was divided into two factions, I have no doubt Michael would’ve been the skipper of the ‘Julio’s’ (they’re called ‘metrosexuals’ these days), while Smithy would’ve been leader of my crowd, the ‘Nerds’—guys who might’ve taken their fashion tips from Jethro Bodine of The Beverly Hillbillies fame. I’m certain Steve will be an excellent skipper, and from what I’ve seen he’ll have a ‘team first’ approach. I believe his biggest challenge is avoiding being one of the boys. It’s nice to be liked by the blokes, but as captain he’ll assume a lot of responsibility and it will mean he has to rise above things he might once have enjoyed being a part of. But that’s the price of the title and I know he’ll handle it well. Actually, he’ll be outstanding. He plays with a lot of passion and flair—as his 215 at Lord’s highlighted during the 2015 Ashes series—but I suspect there’ll be some tough times. I think his biggest test as a captain could be the impact on his own form of the team not performing well. But, mark my words, he has plenty going for him: he’s levelheaded, he’s well grounded, and, despite being one of the world’s best cricketers at such a young age, he’s quite humble. I was at Lord’s when Steve scored his 215, and I bumped into the former Australian fast bowler Merv Hughes, who was a national selector when Steve was first called up to the Aussie team in 2010. Steve was picked then as a leg-spinner. It made me laugh to hear that, when his batting technique was discussed at the selection table, the common consensus was he’d never bat above No. 6. As Merv said that day in London: ‘How wrong were we?’

  I have no doubt one issue Steve will need to contend with is the continued criticism of the Australian team’s reputation as sledgers. ‘Sledging’, in case you don’t know, is making comments to unsettle an opposition’s batsmen. It is just banter, a bit of a chat, and while some people call it gamesmanship, Steve Waugh described it as mental disintegration. I see both terms as a more apt description than ‘sledging’. I didn’t really want to talk about sledging, but I’m told it’s not a cricket book these days unless it’s discussed. Whenever I hear commentators from other countries dredge up Australia’s reputation as sledgers, I can’t help but think it sounds a bit old and tired, because I feel it’s as though they are doing their best to give the other teams an edge. I think Australian teams were characterised by sledging a few years ago because the more we won, the harder people searched for an angle to attack us from. Regardless, it was seen by many critics as something they could nail us on. Look, there’s no doubt some of the boys didn’t mind a bit of a ‘chat’ out in the middle (at least when I played), and while there were other teams who were just as verbal and as cutting in their comments, the media treated it as if we were the only ones who did it. I formed my own views on why that was the case. My first theory is, as I’ve said, we were the world’s
dominant team and people needed to find something about us to attack. Secondly, Aussies, as a rule, are upfront about the way we go about our business. I think the one common thread that binds all of Australia’s sporting teams—be it swimming, soccer, rugby league and rugby union, hockey and netball—is that we don’t try and hide the fact that we’re out there to win. We’ll play aggressively, and we’ll back ourselves, regardless of whether we’re given any hope against a superior team or not—because we’re expected from a young age to play hard. Look at the Matildas women’s soccer team when they beat Brazil in the 2015 Women’s World Cup as an example of that. I think that this is a result of Australians being brought up to be honest, and to also cop whatever happens during the contest on the chin.

  I’m tired of talking about sledging, because the constant reference seems to overshadow what we’ve achieved as a cricketing nation. Sure, there were some funny sledges and the quick-witted responses to them have kept dozens of old cricketers employed in after-dinner speaking gigs. For instance, there was the time when Merv Hughes was said to have been so frustrated by the English skipper Graham Gooch continually playing and missing, that he asked after bowling a delivery: ‘Would you like me to bowl a piano to see if you can play that?’ During a duel between big Merv and Pakistan’s Javed Miandad, it was claimed Miandad said to Merv, ‘You’re a big, fat bus conductor.’ Merv’s immediate response was simply to grin, but a few balls later when he dismissed Miandad, he ran past the batsman and yelled ‘Tickets please!’ Then there’s the famous story of when an English County fast bowler whizzed a few deliveries past Viv Richards’ bat and, feeling confident, sidled up to the Master Blaster and growled, ‘It’s red and it’s round. Now hit it!’ Of course it was a silly challenge because Viv not only belted the next delivery out of the ground, but, to add salt to the wound yelled down the pitch: ‘You know what it looks like, now go and get it.’ I don’t know if any of those anecdotes are true, but they’ve been passed down over the years and are accepted as fact. I suppose that’s one of my concerns—the stories about sledging are accepted as truth. My blood still boils to remember how, in 1996 when the World Cup was hosted in Sri Lanka, India and Pakistan, my short bio in the official program stated that I’d called Sri Lanka’s star batsman Sanath Jayasuriya a ‘black monkey’. I was ropeable when I saw it; the story behind it stemmed from a false accusation Jayasuriya made during the one-day international final at the SCG in 1995–96. Of course there was no substance to it—I’m not a bigot—and to read that rubbish infuriated me. But what really grates is that it’s a lie that has become ingrained in Sri Lankan cricket as fact, because their national team’s former opener, Roshan Mahanama, repeated the claim in his biography in 2001. He didn’t even play in the match and he certainly didn’t seek comment from me. I actually sought legal advice because he’d branded me a racist.