McGrath sets sight on joining elite company

Australia's premier fast bowler Glenn McGrath will have an added spring in his step when he takes the field in Saturday’s final Test ag...

Australia’s premier fast bowler Glenn McGrath will have an added spring in his step when he takes the field in Saturday’s final Test against Pakistan here.

McGrath needs just four wickets to join team-mate Shane Warne as the only Australians in the exclusive 400-wicket club, a feat he hopes to achieve in quick time against the Pakistanis.

‘‘It’s been there on my mind for sometime, and it will be nice to get there in this Test itself,’’ the 32-year-old said here today. ‘‘Getting to 400 will be a very amazing achievement, I will be a very proud man when I get there.’’

The 86-Test veteran hoped the milestone will inspire him to touch the 500-wicket mark, a feat achieved so far only by world record holder Courtney Walsh of the West Indies, who retired last season with 519 wickets.

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‘”That’s been my aim for some time, getting to 500,’’ McGrath said. ‘‘Hopefully the body will hold up till then. I work very hard off the field, the body feels pretty good. And I am quite motivated to play for Australia. I have always been a wicket-taker. The main motivation is to take wickets.’’

The 400-plus club members

431: Hadlee Known as the ‘Sultan of Swing’ this Kiwi was the first to scale the summit in just 86 Tests. His best bowling figure in a Test innings was 9/52

519: Walsh The West Indian pacer is the only one to reach the 500-plus milestone. He took 132 Tests to achieve the feat with his best in one innings being 7/37

434: Kapil Dev The Indian was the first to surpass Sir Richard Hadlee’s mark of 431 scalps. He took 131 Tests to achieve the feat with his best being 9/83

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430: Murali This offie with his unique bowling action has been Lanka’s sure match-winner. He is the quickest to reach the mark in 76 Tests with the best figure of 9/51

414: Akram The Pak left-armer has a unique double in both versions of the game. The pacer still going strong took 102 Tests with his best being 7/119

405: Ambrose The tall Antiguan bowled in tandem with Walsh and the two spearheaded the West Indies bowling complimenting each other. Ambrose’s best in 98 Tests was 8/45

402: Warne The best in business today, this leggie has set his eyes on Walsh’s target. The Victorian took 92 Tests to reach the milestone with the best of 8/71 in an innings

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Unlike Pakistani all-rounder Wasim Akram, who has stayed away from Test cricket to keep fit for next year’s limited overs World Cup, McGrath still enjoys both forms of the game. ‘‘I just love to play for Australia, whether it is Tests or One-day Internationals,’’ he said. ‘‘The only tough thing is to be away from the family for so long.’’

McGrath, who has over 250 ODI wickets, shortened his run-up during the one-day series in Kenya, but went back to his original mark in the first two Tests against Pakistan. Leg-spinner Warne may have dominated the series so far with 19 wickets in two Tests — taking his overall tally to 469 — but McGrath’s contribution has been invaluable. In the first Test in Colombo, McGrath claimed 1-40 in the first innings and 3-38 in the second as Australia squeezed out a hard-fought victory by 41 runs. In the second Test played here last week in oppressive heat and humidity, McGrath closed one end up to allow Warne a free run at the other.

McGrath said he had not thought about next month’s Ashes series against old rivals England at home. ‘‘I am concentrating on the third Test here,’’ he said. ‘‘Hopefully we can finish this Test soon as get home early. A 3-0 sweep will be a true reading of the series.’’