I made it a point to stay in control of my emotions, because I realised there was no need to do anything except plug away, and I was benefiting from the English batsmen. It was incredible. I remember poor old Alec Stewart letting the ball go but it came back at him from up the slope and he was clean-bowled. The stars had seemingly aligned for me over London that day and I made the most of it. At the end of their innings, when I dismissed Andy Caddick lbw and England was routed for 77, our coach Geoff Marsh wrote my name and 8–38 on a piece of masking tape and stuck it to the board. I savoured the moment as I walked back towards the dressing room. I waved to Mum and Jane and I was surprised when I saw the then prime minister John Howard give me the thumbs up … it wasn’t a bad day at the office!
As you’d expect, the statisticians noted England’s total was the lowest recorded by an English team in the 20th century; it was their second-lowest since the end of World War II and the 13th lowest Test score since 1877. My 8–38 was the best by an Australian bowler, eclipsing the 8–84 Bob Massie took in 1972, and it was the third-best innings haul by an Aussie against the old enemy since Arthur Mailey took 9–121 in 1920–21 and Frank Laver’s 8–31 at The Oval in 1909.
Lord’s was always kind to me because in the three Tests I played there, I was named Man of the Match on each occasion. However, when I think about that first match, when nothing could go wrong, I still can’t help but shake my head and ask myself whether it really happened. I remember reading once that the Australian political figure Doc Evatt, who was the only Australian president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, wrote that Australians would be prepared to go to war to defend that 22 yards at Lord’s, and while I wouldn’t quite endorse that sentiment, I certainly loved the place.
5. FIRST FIVE-WICKET HAUL, BARBADOS (1995)
The greatest dynasty world cricket has known is on the verge of collapse thanks to a bold young Australian who dared to put the wind up the Windies.
—ROBERT CRADDOCK, THE DAILY TELEGRAPH-MIRROR
Australia started the tour of the West Indies on the back foot when our attack’s spearheads, Craig McDermott and Damien Fleming, were sent home with injuries. While I’d played in a few Tests, I was suddenly presented with an opportunity to prove myself and I lapped it up because I wanted to earn my stripes. It’s worth noting that injuries had provided me with all my opportunities. When I joined Sutherland I was earmarked for third grade but was picked for the second-grade team that went on a tour of the South Coast; I received my baggy green cap to play against the Kiwis because the ‘go to’ bowlers were all injured; and in the Caribbean, unfortunate circumstances—McDermott injured himself jumping off a wall and Fleming hurt his shoulder—meant they had to return to Australia.
I was used as the second-change bowler in the opening Test of the series in Barbados. I targeted the Windies pacemen with the short stuff they liked to serve and they made it clear it wasn’t appreciated. Mark Taylor and Steve Waugh devised the plan to hook into their bowlers when they had to bat and I respected the fact that it had Waugh’s fingerprints over it, because before his back gave way and stopped him from bowling his medium-pacers, I don’t think any bowler in international cricket bowled as many bouncers as he did at the West Indies. I viewed what he did as gutsy and I didn’t need much prompting to agree to do what I could to not only unsettle them, but take their wickets.
That style of bowling didn’t win me too many fans among the Windies line-up, but I did finish the second innings with 5–68 and Australia won the Test. I felt as though I’d broken through as a fast bowler and had genuinely contributed to the team. I grew in confidence after that and I never looked back. The Windies made a point of letting me know they didn’t think too much of me, because they’d yell ‘Kill him, man’ when I took strike, but that wasn’t enough to faze me. I took strength from the scenes in Jamaica from the Aussie supporters in the crowd chanting ‘Ooh aah, Glenn McGrath’—it was the first time I’d received that kind of attention. It really surprised me and I remember thinking it’d be special to help win the Frank Worrell Trophy for those people in the outer who were waving their Australian flags and supporting us. It was a wonderful experience, my coming of age as a Test bowler, and by the end of the series we became the first Aussie team to bring the trophy home from the Caribbean since Ian Chappell’s team in 1973.
While that tour signalled the demise of the West Indies as cricket’s greatest superpower of the time, it was the beginning of Australia’s ascent to the top of the mountain.
6. 61 VS NEW ZEALAND AT THE GABBA (2004)
It gave us a lot of momentum and a lot of energy to go out and play well for the rest of the game.
—AUSTRALIAN SKIPPER RICKY PONTING ON THE PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN ME AND JASON GILLESPIE
I always dreamt of scoring a Test 50—and a century, for that matter—but there were times when I wondered whether I could even get close because in order of strengths my bowling came first, my fielding was second and batting, well, batting came a distant third. That’s not to say I didn’t try, because I fought hard to keep my wicket. I never backed away from the ball regardless of who bowled it, and I also dug in to help a lot of great batsmen, such as Steve Waugh and Mike Hussey, to their hundreds. However, the day I joined Jason Gillespie at the crease in Brisbane proved that every dog has its day, because before the match I copped a bit of stick from the boys for taking almost as many Test wickets (454) as I’d scored Test runs (477). I wasn’t too impressed. He gave me a purpose, if not a point to prove. A highlight of my knock was tonking the great Kiwi spin bowler Daniel Vettori for six because apart from being the only one I ever struck in Test cricket, it also brought up my 500th Test run.
Something I loved about the knock was the fact I could see how much my team were enjoying it! They were cheering and hollering—laughing—at what was happening. However, in the context of the Test, Rick would later say the last wicket partnership between Dizzy and me was important because he said it ‘was the straw that broke the camel’s back’.
People have asked me since that knock whether I valued that 50 more than a five-wicket haul, and sometimes I come close to saying ‘yes’ because I saw it as a great reward for hard work. As you could probably imagine, I didn’t mind letting three great blokes—Ricky Ponting (51), Justin Langer (34) and current national coach Darren Lehmann (8)—know that I’d scored more runs than them that day, but I guess history—and the stats sheet—notes all three had the last laugh!
7. THE CATCH VS ENGLAND AT ADELAIDE OVAL (2002)
It was a miracle, we weren’t expecting him to catch it.
—AUSTRALIAN SKIPPER STEVE WAUGH
I loved Channel Nine’s classic catch segment when I was growing up, because it left you wondering how on earth a fieldsman was able to take what should’ve been an impossible catch. The best one I remember was John Dyson’s screamer in 1982 against the Windies when he ran backwards in the deep at the SCG and took it like a soccer goalkeeper.
I used to dive for classic catches when I was a kid on holidays; I’d get someone to throw me the tennis ball as I dived into the swimming pool and it was always a lot of good fun. Almost as much fun for me as that day in Adelaide when Michael Vaughan slogged Shane Warne out in the deep and I found myself running as fast as I possibly could.
I doubt whether too many people watching the chase gave me any chance of taking it, and even though the ball seemed to hang in the air for quite a while I realised I’d need to dive to have any hope of adding another wicket to Warnie’s tally. It turned out to be a leap of faith because when I dived, the ball not only deflected off my left hand and into my right but I was amazed the ball actually stuck when I crashed onto the ground.
The catch was only a small part of what ended up as a great victory for us. It meant we’d won 10 of our past 11 Tests and it allowed Steve to be just one win off matching Allan Border’s record 32 victories as the nation’s Test captain. I’ve been asked if I had any concern about injuring myself, but th
at’s really the last thing that comes into your mind. Most times you don’t need to dive for a catch, but on that particular day it was the only hope I had. However, to be able to pick yourself up off the ground, throw the ball in the air and celebrate with your arms raised in triumph is a dream come true that I reckon any kid who watched the old classic catches or dived for a tennis ball while jumping into the pool would relate to.
8. 8–24 VS PAKISTAN AT THE WACA (2004)
The conditions are suited to fast bowlers, but McGrath was great … a match-winner.
—AUSTRALIAN SKIPPER RICKY PONTING IN THE POST-MATCH PRESS CONFERENCE
My goal was to always bowl the perfect match and I think I achieved it in this match; a game where the famous Fremantle Doctor—the cooling afternoon wind that blows through Perth from off the ocean—came in from a slightly different direction, which helped because when I ran in at a slightly wider angle it swung the ball a little bit.
I seemed to have total control and the funny thing is, before play started I had a premonition that something special was going to happen. It happened when I was asked by the director of the Save the Rhino foundation if they could have the ball from the Test to auction at a fundraising dinner. I’ve been a long-time supporter of the foundation because they fight for a cause I truly believe in. I became captivated by the rhino when I toured South Africa with the Cricket Academy squad in 1992. They struck me as being noble animals, and when I heard the aim of the foundation was to preserve them, I threw my support behind it because the guys who run it don’t get any handouts from the government. They fight for every dollar, so throughout my career I didn’t mind giving them some of my memorabilia and gear to auction off.
At first I said it wouldn’t be a problem to donate the match ball from this Test, but as I started to walk away something told me I’d probably want to keep it because, for some reason, I felt that ball would mean a lot to me. The only other time I had that feeling was when I took 8–38 against England at Lord’s six years earlier … and while it would’ve been nice to have woken with that feeling a few more times during my career, I certainly made hay when the sun shone! I bowled 16 overs as Pakistan was skittled for 72 and it was gobsmacking how easily the wickets fell—at one stage it appeared as though I might take all 10 wickets, but Michael Kasprowicz denied me that when he bundled out their No. 8, Mohammad Sami, in his opening over.
What added to the achievement was that the WACA was a ground where I usually struggled for success, despite it having a reputation as a fast-bowler’s nirvana. On that particular day, with the Fremantle Doctor working its magic, there wasn’t anywhere else I would have wanted to be.
9. 1995 TOUR OF WEST INDIES & 2004 TOUR OF INDIA
If the question has been asked once it’s been asked a thousand times. Just who will take over from McDermott? On the evidence tendered in the Caribbean in recent weeks this is no longer an issue. McGrath has come of age.
—MIKE COWARD, THE AUSTRALIAN
I rank both series extremely highly because they were watershed moments for Australian cricket. In 1995, under Mark Taylor’s captaincy, we became the first Australian team in 22 years to win a series in the Caribbean, and in 2004, under Ricky Ponting (and Adam Gilchrist, who filled in when Rick was injured), we became the first Australian team in 35 years to win a series in India. Due to the magnitude of those moments it should be no surprise that I’m proud to say I was involved in both campaigns.
The West Indies triumph was the beginning of a dominant era for Australian cricket and it was also an eye-opener for me because I realised if I wanted longevity as an international player I needed to do things differently. I weighed 77 kilograms and I realised I needed to put on 15–17 kilograms of muscle and train tough to become unbreakable. It also taught the Australian team a few things because after that tour we understood how to win, and we went from strength to strength and dominated world cricket for a long time.
To win in India was a highlight because the subcontinent was the last frontier for the boys. We almost did it in 2001, but unfortunately stumbled at the last hurdle. The victory in India proved we’d learnt to master all conditions and was a tribute to the team’s practices.
10. WORLD CUP TOURNAMENT VICTORIES IN 1999, 2003 AND 2007
In the ensuing minutes, no-one could tell me that one-day cricket wasn’t as important as Test cricket.
—STEVE WAUGH ON THE 1999 WORLD CUP VICTORY.
When I saw the Michael Clarke captained Australian team celebrate the nation’s fifth World Cup victory in 2015, it amazed me to think that I’d also held that trophy aloft on three different occasions.
In 1999, after a slow start, we found ourselves in the position of needing to win every game to qualify for the final. Australia responded to this incredible pressure, and by the time we played Pakistan at Lord’s we believed nothing was beyond us. In 2003 we handled the pressure to perform much better than our opponents, India, to take it out in South Africa. And in my final campaign for Australia in 2007, we never looked in danger of even losing a game in the lead-up to playing Sri Lanka in the final, when the Cup was staged in the West Indies.
We almost had a fourth Cup triumph during my time but we were defeated by a Sri Lankan team that played better than us and mastered the subcontinent’s conditions. However, I think it was that loss that gave us the hunger to succeed at those subsequent World Cups.
I was proud of every World Cup campaign I played in, but the last one, when I was named Man of the Tournament, was ridiculous! That was a great honour and rather than making me feel as though I might want to play on, that acknowledgement made it easier for me to retire fulfilled. I’d done everything I could.
21
MY MENTORS
A student was given a mentoring opportunity, in the hope that when you had somebody to lean on you, you would begin to stand a little steadier yourself, and get manliness and thoughtfulness.
—Thomas Hughes, Tom Brown’s Schooldays
I have read that mentoring is a trusted relationship and a meaningful commitment. As someone who has benefited from having many mentors throughout my life—people who have been generous in sharing their insights and knowledge—I believe that is a fair description of the special bond that can create the difference between a person making the grade or missing the cut. If you consult the textbooks, there are descriptions for the different types of mentors; they range from the wise leader who has reached the top of whatever their calling is; the life coach who is a professional mentor; the teacher who fosters learning and growth by sharing their knowledge; and the confidante who is a trusted sounding-board.
Over the years I have benefited from each of these types of mentors, sharing their hard-earned life experiences and invaluable insights. I’ve found there is a truth in the saying that suggests if you want to know how to get somewhere then go ask someone who has been there. As a cricketer I’ve been in a very fortunate position to be able to call upon a host of wise and proven performers such as Dennis Lillee, Rodney Marsh and Steve Rixon. If they didn’t know the answers to my questions they found a way to answer them with a clear-headed logic. I was also very lucky as a child because I didn’t need to look too far for heartfelt guidance and advice. My extended family lived close to one another and I gained a lot from Mum and Dad, my uncle Malc and my grandparents, and something that strikes me as being important all those years ago was that the adults in our family not only asked how things were going for me, but they also took the time to listen carefully to my answer. As the years have flown by it’s dawned on me to appreciate how special that commitment was, and I try to show the same commitment to James and Holly.
Something I have also realised as I’ve grown older is that sometimes being a mentor means knowing when it’s best to stay silent, and when to speak. It’s easy to offer your thoughts and observations about every little thing, but sometimes the best way to allow a person to learn is by their own trial and error. In those cases I don’t think it hurts a perso
n to hit the ground—they learn from that—but it’s the mentor’s role in that situation to pick them up and help dust them off.
I have benefited from the involvement of so many wonderful and decent people and I figured a fitting way to finish this book would be to acknowledge the people who have had a big impact on my life. I wanted to also share the traits I have developed and admired, and strengths I have drawn from those relationships. We’re all in a journey in life and I hope what I share might help make it a more enjoyable road for some people.
MUM AND DAD
My parents, Kevin and Bev, were hardworking people who brought me up to treat people how I would like to be treated, and to live with humility and respect. If you judge the success of your parents by how you remember your childhood then mine were world-beaters because I have only good memories of growing up on the farm. I loved everything about my upbringing, from always having fresh milk in the fridge from our cows, to our annual Christmas vacation at a caravan park at North Haven, near Port Macquarie, where the days at the beach seemed to go on forever. However, it wasn’t an easy life, as I have mentioned. Anyone who knows anything about farming will tell you that it is one hard slog, with early morning starts that run well into the night. But it was from watching how hard Mum and Dad toiled that their three kids, Donna, Dale and I, had our work ethic instilled in us. In terms of life’s lessons, with Mum and Dad it was definitely a case of ‘following their lead’. I had no problem living their values because they were good and they were solid. However, I’m sure I can speak on behalf of Donna and Dale when I say their actions were what made us appreciate the importance of ‘Do as I do’, because they’d get up early for a long day’s work to run the household. However, regardless of drought, frost, flood or even financial stress, they always found time for us, whether it was Mum driving me for miles to play cricket, tennis and basketball, or Dad talking about the day’s events at the dinner table. And while I said we lived their values, they never forced them upon us; I think we three kids simply appreciated the way they lived—and accepted—life.
Test of Will Page 23