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Lara was harder to bowl at than Tendulkar, says McGrath

McGrath Lara Tendulkar
by Wisden Staff 1 minute read

Asked to pick between Sachin Tendulkar and Brian Lara, Australia fast bowling great Glenn McGrath picked the latter, saying the West Indies legend was the more difficult of the two batsmen to bowl to.

Speaking to ESPNcricinfo, McGrath said that it was a tough choice, but that from his experience, he would have to give Lara the slight edge, while also naming the duo as part of the trio of batsmen he would like to dismiss for his dream hat-trick.

“Tough,” McGrath said of the choice. “I would go with Lara just from my experience. The hat-trick wish-list would be Brian Lara, Sachin Tendulkar and Rahul Dravid.”

McGrath also picked the “100mph delivery” as the one missing from his arsenal, before going on to note that fast bowlers were harder workers than batsmen. “Fast bowlers are better blokes, work harder, and batsmen expect everything,” he said.

While on the subject of fast bowling, McGrath picked countryman Pat Cummins as the cream of the crop, calling him the most complete fast bowler among the current lot in international cricket.

Cummins is ranked No.1 in the world in the ICC Test rankings and has for long been a workhorse for Australia. Though he began his career prone to injuries, Cummins has since been on a path to resurrection, bowling with renewed vigour, with untiring consistency.

“Pat Cummins,” McGrath said, naming his pick for the world’s most complete bowler. “I like the way he goes by.”

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