Hot on the heels of Akram, McGrath eyes record

Two wickets against Bangladesh will take Australian pace ace Glenn McGrath past former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram8217;s World Cup record of 55 wickets. The surprise will be if it doesn8217;t happen.

Two wickets against Bangladesh will take Australian pace ace Glenn McGrath past former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram8217;s World Cup record of 55 wickets. The surprise will be if it doesn8217;t happen.

McGrath8217;s consistent and matchwinning bowling performances have helped Australia reach the final of the past three World Cups, including back-to-back title triumphs in 1999 and 2003. Playing in his last international competition, McGrath, 37, is yet again spearheading Australia8217;s quest for a first ever hat-trick of titles. His 54 World Cup wickets are a testimony to the impact this pace bowler had in ripping through rival batting lineups for Australia to romp home.

Seeking to dominate the Super 8s contest against unfancied Bangladesh on Saturday, Australia hope that McGrath8217;s record will be another milestone on the way to stretching their unbeaten sequence to 23 World Cup matches8212;one of these games ending in a tie in 1999.

8220;Claiming a couple more wickets and going past Akram will be something special,8221; says McGrath, who has announced his decision to retire from international cricket after the World Cup.

Eleven years ago, McGrath went without success in the 1996 final at Lahore that Sri Lanka won by seven wickets. Since then, he has made batsmen pay dearly for his missed opportunity. Snaring three wickets against the West Indies in the World Cup8217;s Super 8s game on Wednesday, McGrath boosted his tally to 364 dismissals in 243 limited-overs internationals. He has already quit Test cricket with a haul of 563 wickets from 124 matches, making him the most successful pace bowler in the history of the game. Only spinners Shane Warne of Australia and Muttiah Muralitharan from Sri Lanka are ahead of him.

McGrath8217;s 54 World Cup dismissals have come in 32 matches, while Akram got his 55 from 38 games. 8220;Looking back, I count myself lucky to have represented Australia for 14 years,8221; says McGrath, who made his Test debut against New Zealand in 1993.

Emerging from five successive one-day defeats in the run-up to the World Cup, Australia have bounced back with impressive victories in all four outings at the premier limited-overs tournament. 8220;It8217;s a funny game,8221; Ponting said. 8220;All of a sudden we appear pretty frightening again, just two weeks ago everyone felt we weren8217;t.8221;

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Australia have crossed the 300-run mark in all four of their matches that include the 103-run victory in the first Super 8s outing against the West Indies. Australia are the overwhelming favorites against Bangladesh. But Ponting8217;s side will be wary of an opponent that two years ago pulled off a stunning win over the world champions at Cardiff, Wales, in a limited-overs tri-series.

It was another shock victory8212;this time over India in Bangladesh8217;s first match8212;that secured the team their biggest World Cup moment by advancing to the Super 8s. Bangladesh finished second in the preliminary round from a group that featured two former world champions 8212; India and Sri Lanka. The Sri Lankans topped the group.