Glenn McGrath Archives

WATCH: McGrath’s reaction as Lyon surpasses him goes viral

ADELAIDE: Australia’s legendary pacer Glenn McGrath reaction went viral after ace off-spinner Nathan Lyon surpassed his Test wicket tally during the third Ashes Test against England here on Thursday.

Lyon claimed his 564th Test wicket, moving past McGrath and sitting behind only Shane Warne among Australian bowlers.

The landmark came in memorable fashion as the 38-year-old struck twice in his very first over after returning to the Test side, removing Ollie Pope before clean-bowling Ben Duckett to reach the milestone.

The achievement came on day two of Lyon’s 141st Test and underlined his enduring value to Australia’s red-ball setup.

After Lyon surpassed his record, McGrath mimicked slamming his chair on the floor.

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Nonetheless, McGrath praised Lyon and shared his thoughts on the achievement.

“What a bowler. Nathan Lyon deserves to get that.”

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“You wondered what impact Nathan Lyon was going to have in this game. First over, and that was a gem of a ball,” he added.

Speaking after the day’s play, Lyon talked about his ideals and expressed pride in the achievement.

“I grew up idolising Shane Warne and Glenn McGrath and these guys in my childhood were my heroes,” he said.

“And to think of being able to overtake Glenn … it’s pretty humbling to be honest with you, and it’s something that I’ll look back on at the end of my career, or even tonight,” Nathan Lyon added.

The 38-year-old thanked teammates for standing by his side, noting that he would take time to reflect on what he described as an ‘extremely special’ moment in his long career.

“I’ll sit back and try and have a moment because it is an extremely special moment for myself. “But I haven’t been able to do that without the guys at the other end, my teammates.”

“I’ve been around this group long enough to understand my role inside, and it’s an amazing group to be a part of,” he explained.

“I’ll continue to enjoy that while I can, it’s a pretty special group, and just extremely grateful for that opportunity, I guess. “Same emotions as usual, nervous, but that’s me,” the veteran spinner concluded.

READ: Lyon ‘humbled’ after moving past childhood hero McGrath

Glenn McGrath removed from Ashes commentary team for THIS reason

Australian pace legend Glenn McGrath has been removed from the commentary panel for the much-anticipated Ashes series, just days ahead of the first Test in Perth.

Former cricketer Tom Moody has been confirmed as his replacement, according to reports from The Age.

The unexpected change is linked to McGrath’s commercial association with bet365, featuring him alongside fellow cricket great Ricky Ponting in a promotional campaign.

The 55-year-old, a familiar voice on ABC cricket broadcasts in recent years, had informed ABC about the partnership roughly a month before the series.

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An ABC spokesperson confirmed the split in a brief statement: “The ABC and Glenn McGrath have mutually parted ways for this Ashes series. We look forward to seeing Glenn around the grounds throughout the series and would welcome working with him in the future.”

While McGrath’s team declined to comment further, the broadcaster reassured fans that their commentary lineup remains strong, led by Jim Maxwell and Corbin Middlemas, and supplemented by former players Darren Lehmann, Jason Gillespie, and Stuart Clark.

The Ashes series, which also forms part of the ICC World Test Championship 2025-27, will kick off at Perth Stadium from 21–25 November, before moving to Gabba, Adelaide Oval, MCG, and SCG for the remaining Tests through early January.

READ: Ricky Ponting names his Australia Playing XI for Ashes opener

Glenn McGrath predicts 5-0 Ashes win for Australia

Former Australia pacer Glenn McGrath has predicted that England will be whitewashed 5-0 in the 2025-26 Ashes.

The Three Lions have not won an Ashes series since 2015 and, notably, not a single Test in Australia since the 2010-11 series.

The most recent series between two arch-rivals, played in 2023, resulted in a 2-2 draw, with Australia retaining the urn.

Now, the six-time Ashes winner and legendary fast bowler McGrath is known for his bold predictions, and in the past, he has made similar statements.

“It’s very rare for me to make a prediction, isn’t it? And I can’t make a different one-5-0,” McGrath stated in an interview with a British news outlet.

“I’m very confident with our team. When you’ve got Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, and Nathan Lyon firing in their home conditions, it’s going to be pretty tough. Plus, that track record England have had, it’d be interesting to see if they can win a Test,” McGrath added.

Glenn McGrath deemed Ashes 2025-26 crucial for England’s ace batter Joe Root, who is yet to make his mark down under.

Joe Root has amassed 892 Test runs in Australia, including nine fifties, but is yet to score a century.

The 55-year-old also lauded Harry Brook’s batting and termed his wicket crucial for the Australian pacers.

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“This series will be a big one for Root. He’s never really done that well in Australia, he’s not even got a 100 over there, so he’ll be keen to get out there. He’s in fine form,” he said.

“Brook’s the one that I’ve enjoyed watching,” added McGrath. “He just goes out there, plays his game, and takes it on. The Australians will need to get on him pretty early.

He further mentioned England’s top order and the key matchups between both teams.

“Ben Duckett is such an aggressive opener. Zak Crawley would be keen to score a few more runs than he has previously.

“It’s the top order or top and middle order of England against the Australian fast bowlers and Lyon. That’s going to be a big match-up,” Glenn McGrath concluded.

For the unversed, the opening match of Ashes 2025-26 will commence on 21 November in Perth.

READ: Amir, Imad and Naseem among seven players granted NOCs for franchise leagues

Mitchell Starc opens up on skipping IPL editions ahead of milestone Test

KINGSTON: Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has revealed the reason for forgoing several editions of the India Premier League (IPL) ahead of his milestone 100th Test against the West Indies.

The 35-year-old pacer has played in the IPL in recent times; however, he has skipped several editions in the past to prioritize Test cricket.

Starc is set to join Australian legend Glenn McGrath in an elite list of fast bowlers who have played 100 Tests. The left-arm pacer, on Saturday, 12 July, will become the second Australian pacer to achieve this milestone and the overall 16th player to do so.

Having made his debut in 2011 against New Zealand, Starc is only five wickets away from reaching 400 wickets in Test cricket. He has so far taken 13 wickets in the two Tests against the West Indies.

Speaking on the eve of the third Test, with the series already secured by Australia, Starc expressed his thoughts on playing 100 Tests and skipping several editions of India’s marquee league.

“Test cricket was probably the hardest format to either feel like I was good enough for or felt like I was capable of doing. To get that opportunity, I wasn’t going to let that pass at all,” Starc said on IPL.

Most Test Wickets for Australia

Shane Warne 708 wickets in 108 matches
Glenn McGrath 563 wickets in 124 matches
Nathon Lyon 553 wickets in 137 matches
Mitchell Starc* 395 wickets in 99 matches

“The years that I did miss franchise cricket, I don’t regret that at all. To get my body in as good a spot as I could for Australia to play 99 games, spend some time at home, spend some time with Alyssa [Healy] and family. That’s the reason why I did those things,” he added.

“It makes me feel old,” Mitchell Starc stated on a lighter note when he was asked about the milestone.

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