Glenn McGrath Names His All Time Top 5 ODI Bowlers

Former Australia legend, Glenn McGrath picked his top 5 bowlers in ODI cricket. The former pacer unsurprisingly named only one spinner in the list. He picked 381 wickets in 250 ODIs for Australia and was part of the three consecutive World Cup victories in 1999, 2003, and 2007.

McGrath started off with veteran Pakistani seamer, Wasim Akram. Akram, in his 19 year ODI career picked 502 wickets. Known as Sultan of Swing, Akram is the second-highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket. The left-arm seamer was Man of the Match in the 1992 World Cup final and the leading wicket-taker in the tournament.

McGrath then chose his compatriot, Brett Lee. Lee, in his illustrious ODI career, picked 380 wickets – just 1 behind McGrath – and both the pacers won the 2003 and 2007 World Cup together.

Glenn McGrath picks a single spinner:

Known as The Pigeon, McGrath named Chaminda Vaas as his third bowler. The Sri Lankan scalped 400 wickets in his 14-year ODI career. The left-arm pacer has a World Cup hattrick to his name which he recorded in the 2003 World Cup against Bangladesh.

The 50-year-old has Shaun Pollock as his fourth bowler choice. Pollock is South Africa’s leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 393 wickets to his name. The right-hander had an economy of 3.67 in ODI cricket- which suggests his immaculate control over line and length.

For his last choice, McGrath went for the leading wicket-taker in ODIs, Muttiah Muralitharan.  The Sri Lankan also has the most wickets in international cricket overall. Muralitharan has picked 534 wickets in 350 ODIs. The off-spinner is the lone spinner in McGrath’s top 5 ODI bowlers.

Glenn McGrath named this list ahead of the third ODI between India and Australia on Wednesday in Canberra. India has lost the first two ODIs and therefore the series.

Also Read: Ravindra Jadeja Posts Cryptic Message After Sanjay Manjrekar Says ‘I’ve A Problem With His Kind Of Cricketers In White-Ball Cricket’