Pigeon back - with muscles

[Donny]

McGrath bounces back

By Mark Stevens - Fox


GLENN McGRATH has bounced his growing list of doubters, declaring he is in the best shape of his career.


The fast-bowling superstar last night revealed a gruelling fitness regimen had added 3kg of muscle to his wiry frame and slashed 20mm from his skin-fold tests.

And in a further warning to the world's batsmen, the 34-year-old said the left ankle that sidelined him for seven months had not felt better for years.

McGrath, who took 2-26 for the New South Wales Second XI at the MCG yesterday, said his knockers would not be so outspoken if they had witnessed his workload in the past two months.

Recovering from surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle, McGrath has had just two days off since the start of the year.

"You see bad press saying, 'He's finished', and they haven't really spoken to me or seen what I'm doing," McGrath said.

"I think it's a bit early to be making a decision like that.

"I've been training harder than I ever have in the gym - my strength and fitness is a lot higher than it's been in the past.

"I can only see positive things out of this. I think what I've done in the last seven months will actually lengthen my career. Hopefully the best is to come. I'm fresher, keener and looking forward to playing.

"We saw Brian Lara have six months off and he came back and has been smashing them ever since."

McGrath was incensed by articles reporting that he had been forced to abort several comeback bids, claiming he didn't launch any serious attempts before he returned in Sydney grade cricket on Saturday.

"They basically just made it up. There's a lot of people out there reading it, and it's so far from the truth it's not funny," McGrath said.

Although many have questioned McGrath's ability to shake off the ankle problems, he is supremely confident the bone spurs will not flare up again.

"The way the ankle feels at the moment, it's as good as it's felt for years," McGrath said.

"It's not going to be a recurring injury. It's been totally fixed, and each bowl I have, it's going to get stronger.

"The main difference for me is I don't look at it as an injury. What the problem was, I've had removed. Guys like Merv (Hughes) and (Craig) McDermott, I think their knees started to play up.

"They had to carry or play through the injury, whereas I've had the spurs removed which were causing my problem."

McGrath, who has 430 wickets at 21.71 in 95 Tests, ran out of time to prove his fitness for next month's Test tour of Sri Lanka. But he has now set his sights on a Pura Cup title with New South Wales and Australia's May tour of Zimbabwe.

McGrath bowled 14.2 overs against the Victorian second XI, starting the day with a seven-over spell. He went to the lunch break with the stingy figures of 0-16 off 10 overs.

After lunch, he removed Andrew McDonald, then returned late in the day to dismiss Peter Roach.

Regular Victorian opener Jason Arnberger, on his way back from a calf injury, faced McGrath with the new ball on a helpful pitch.

Arnberger said he could not believe the doubters who said McGrath was washed up, predicting that, like, Shane Warne, he would be straight into the Test team as soon as he was ready.

"He does so much with the ball. It was more a fact of trying to get through his spell rather than try and attack him," Arnberger said.

"He was hitting the length as he normally does . . . he was getting a lot of extra bounce and hitting the seam almost every ball."

[Donny]

McGrath near his best: selector

Fox


GLENN McGRATH is back bowling as well as he was a year before his injury, according to NSW state cricket selector Dion Bourne.

The 34-year-old test great showed he was ready to return to the NSW team in time for the Waugh brothers' farewell SCG appearance next week with an impressive performance for the second XI.

McGrath returned figures of 6-56 off 32.3 overs and his second innings effort of 4-30 off 18 was a key to NSW's nine wicket win over Victoria at the MCG yesterday.

It followed just one Sydney grade game last weekend after a seven month lay-off caused by ankle problems.

The NSW selectors sit down on Saturday to pick the team for its final Pura Cup game with Queensland starting next Thursday, when Steve and Mark Waugh will each play what could be their last first class game.

McGrath seems certain to be included as Bourne said the panel was "enthused with the way he bowled" in Melbourne.

"The longer he bowled, the better he got. He's still got his accuracy and guile and he bowled very well in the first innings," Bourne said.

"But in the second innings he stepped up another cog, he was, in my view, better than before he had his injury.

"He seemed to be back to the form of about a year before he had his break with the injury.

"I truly believe he is 98 percent back to his best and his bowling in the second innings was really, really good.

"He got four of the top order batsmen out and gave them nothing."

"I know Glenn came through the match well, he had no ill effects and he's very fit, he's had this ankle surgery but has maintained the rest of his body in a pretty superb state of fitness."

McGrath will be one of several internationals returning to the Blues line-up with one-day representative Michael Clarke, Michael Bevan and Brad Haddin arriving back from the series in Sri Lanka.

Fourth-placed NSW could still make the final if they beat third-placed Queensland outright and competition leader Victoria does likewise against second placed Tasmania in Hobart.

[Donny]

McGrath's figures for the match were 6/56 from 32.3 overs.

In the above article, it could be read that he took 10/96.

Still an impressive return, especially his second innings 4/30 from 128 overs. He removed both openers (Rummans and Arnberger) and Jewell and Roach. His first innings victims were McDonald and Roach.