McGrath or Wasim Akram – Who is better ODI Bowler?

• Rashel Ahamed
• November 7, 2024
• Sports
• Akram, AustraliaCricket, Fast Bowler, Glenn McGrath, Lara, Mcgrath, ODI cricket, Pakistan Cricket, Sachin, Wasim
• 0 Comments

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Who is better ODI Bowler in the history of cricket?

It’s hard to compare the two players. It is more difficult to make a decision. Different factors come into play when comparing. Some bowler may have bowled in the powerplay, and some bowler may have come to bowl after the fall of 3 wickets… Both situations are not the same. In the first case, the batsman will want to increase the speed of the run, in the second case, the batsman will want to stay in the wicket. It should also be kept in mind that the present bowlers get much less advantage than the bowlers of the 70s. However, considering all the factors, people try to come up with a solution.

Of course, the comparison between Wasim and McGrath should be a bit easier in that regard. Because there are two factors. Both are opening bowlers, both have gone through a lot of careers around the same time, the cricketing rules were also fairly similar during the time of both.

Another thing is that in Test cricket, a bowler gets a chance to bowl many overs, but in 50-over ODI cricket, a bowler gets a chance to bowl a maximum of ten overs. So in one-day cricket, a bowler has to make the most of limited opportunities.

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Statistics don’t always tell the truth, but statistics are something you can’t ignore even if you want to. Before analyzing the performance, let’s first take a look at the statistics of the two.

• In ODIs, McGrath has 381 wickets in 250 matches at an average of 22.02 and an economy of 3.88. He has taken more than four wickets in a match 16 times, at 1.52 wickets per match. On the other hand, Wasim took 502 wickets in 356 matches at an average of 23.52 and an economy of 3.89. He has taken more than four wickets in a match 23 times, at 1.41 wickets per match.
• In the final match alone, McGrath took 55 wickets in 27 matches at an average of 16.43 and an economy of 3.92. He has taken more than four wickets in a match 4 times, at 2.03 wickets per match. Wasim, on the other hand, has 49 wickets in 36 matches at an average of 24.18 and an economy of 3.77. He has taken more than four wickets in a match on 1 occasion, at 1.36 wickets per match.
• McGrath took 301 wickets in 171 matches at an average of 17.94 and economy of 3.65 when his team won. He has picked up 15 wickets in four matches. Wasim, on the other hand, has 326 wickets in 199 matches at an average of 18.86 and an economy of 3.70 when his team won. He has taken 18 wickets in four matches.

• In the world cup, McGrath has 71 wickets in 39 matches at an average of 18.19 and economy of 3.96. He has taken more than four wickets in a match 2 times, at 1.82 wickets per match. On the other hand, Wasim took 55 wickets in 38 matches at an average of 23.83 and economy of 4.04 in the world cup. He has taken 4 + wickets in a match 3 times, at 1.44 wickets per match.
• McGrath has taken 181 wickets in the top three of the batting order, which is 47.50 per cent of his career wickets. He has taken 118 wickets in the middle order which is 31.00% of his career wickets and 82 wickets in the lower order which is 21.50% of his career wickets. Wasim, on the other hand, has taken 229 wickets in the top three of the batting order, which is 45.60 per cent of his career wickets, 146 wickets in the middle order, which is 29.10 per cent of his career wickets and 127 wickets in the lower three, which is 25.30 per cent of his career wickets.

• In ODIs, McGrath has been named Man of the Match 15 times in 250 matches, an average of 1 time in every 16.66 matches. On the other hand, Wasim has played 22 times in 356 matches, averaging 1 time in every 16.18 matches.
• McGrath has been named Man of the Series 1 time in 53 series, while Wasim has been named Man of the Series 3 times in 93 series.

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Looking at the above statistics, it is clear that Wasim is slightly behind Glenn McGrath, at least in terms of statistics. But it’s not just about the statistics. Statistics need to be analyzed. Let’s try this. 

One thing definitely stands out when comparing McGrath and Wasim. Wasim has had to bowl most of the time on sub-continent pitches, which are mostly spin-friendly. McGrath, on the other hand, has mostly bowled on pace-friendly pitches in Australia or South Africa. The argument is not entirely wrong. But in reality, have we ever analyzed how much this factor has affected the performance of both?   

First, let’s look at the subcontinent:

• India is considered to be one of the best places for fast bowlers. McGrath took 30 wickets in 21 matches. Average 28.67, strike rate 37.93 and economy 4.53. Wasim picked up 22 wickets in 18 matches. Average 29.82, strike rate 43.32 and economy 4.13.
• McGrath has taken 15 wickets in 8 matches in Pakistan at an average of 19.8, strike rate of 28.93 and economy of 4.11. Wasim picked up 72 wickets in 67 matches at an average of 31.13, strike rate of 42.85 and economy of 4.36.
• McGrath has taken 21 wickets in 12 matches in Sri Lanka at an average of 20.95, strike rate of 28.81 and economy of 4.36. Wasim picked up 22 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 16.18, strike rate of 30.14 and economy of 3.22.
• McGrath’s tally in these three countries is 66 wickets in 41 matches, at 1.60 per match. Wasim took 116 wickets in 99 matches at an average of 1.17. Needless to say, the countries in which both played have been taken into account. Since McGrath did not play in Sharjah and Bangladesh, the statistics of these two countries have also been omitted in Wasim’s case. If Sharjah and Bangladesh are taken into account, Wasim’s tally is 250 wickets in 184 matches, at 1.35 per match.

Now let’s take a look at the pace friendly areas outside the subcontinent:

• McGrath has taken 161 wickets in 96 matches in Australia at an average of 20.23, strike rate of 32.12 and economy of 3.78. Wasim picked up 87 wickets in 64 matches at an average of 24.97, strike rate of 39.40 and economy of 3.80.
• McGrath has taken 37 wickets in 27 matches in South Africa at an average of 22.08, strike rate of 37.08 and economy of 3.57. Wasim picked up 43 wickets in 24 matches at an average of 19.40, strike rate of 29.81 and economy of 3.90.
• McGrath has taken 38 wickets in 27 matches in England at an average of 23.74, strike rate of 38.32 and economy of 3.72. Wasim picked up 28 wickets in 23 matches at an average of 31.32, strike rate of 28.36 and economy of 4.05.
• McGrath has taken 36 wickets in 22 matches in the West Indies at an average of 20.50, strike rate of 28.36 and economy of 4.34. Wasim picked up 14 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 32.43, strike rate of 45.64 and economy of 4.26.
• McGrath has taken 21 wickets in 15 matches in New Zealand at an average of 24.76, strike rate of 35.24 and economy of 4.22. Wasim picked up 37 wickets in 20 matches at an average of 15.46, strike rate of 27.08 and economy of 3.43.
• On pace-friendly pitches, McGrath has 293 wickets in 187 matches at 1.56 per match. Wasim, on the other hand, has 209 wickets in 143 matches at an average of 1.46.

That means that ‘Wasim Akram is behind in the statistics because of bowling on spin-friendly pitches in the subcontinent‘ – this is also not entirely true. 

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But it is surprising that despite being so far ahead in the statistics, Wasim Akram is far ahead of the players who have faced or played with both of them. Let’s take a look at some comments.

Stephen Fleming said:

“Among all the bowlers I have faced, Warne is the best spinner and Wasim is the best pacer. ‘

According to the Donald,

“” “When I started playing, Wasim Akram was one of the best fast bowlers.” Wasim was the most skillful and complete player I have ever seen and played against. ‘ 

Ambrose said:

“If he’s fit, he’ll be happy with the ball. He is one of the best fast bowlers. ‘

According to Kapil Dev, Wasim Akram is the best fast bowler of all time.

Jacques Kallis said:

“” “I think Wasim Akram is the best bowler I have ever faced.” His ability to swing both ways is what makes him so fearsome. ‘

Apart from contemporary players, Virat Kohli, who is considered to be the best batsman in the next era, also fell in reverence while talking about Wasim.

“” “If there’s ever a bowler I feel scared to face, it’s Wasim Akram.” ‘

However, a player’s personal opinion may not always lead to the true result. That is why it is better to rely on the results of the collective opinion of experts. There you can see why McGrath is always a little behind Wasim. Wasim Akram was ranked No. 1 in the list of ODI bowlers of the last century by Wisden, while McGrath was ranked No. 4. Of course, by the time the list was made, McGrath’s form had been much the same since then.

In 2015, an attempt was made by Cricket Monthly to select the best ODI cricketer in history by forming a jury board consisting of 50 cricketers and cricket writers. Players like Zaheer Abbas, Russel Arnold, Ian Bishop, Mark Butcher, Ian Chappell, Dean Jones, Rahul Dravid were also on the board. Wasim Akram was third on the list with 66 points from 26 votes. Glenn McGrath was at the 14th position in the list with 5 points from just 1 vote.

It’s really worth wondering why McGrath is being left behind despite having such a clear lead in almost every area of the statistics. Let’s try to figure that out.

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Success against the best contemporary batsmen and its reasons

When comparing the two bowlers, it is an important factor in how successful they were against the best batsmen of their time. The best batsmen in the era of McGrath and Wasim Akram were Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Saeed Anwar, Ricky Ponting, etc. Wasim also got the great Martin Crowe and Desmond Haynes for a while.

Now let’s see how many times McGrath and Wasim dismissed Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar.

Wasim dismissed Sachin Tendulkar 3 times in 24 matches, and McGrath 7 times in 23 matches. Wasim dismissed Brian Lara 7 times in 33 matches and McGrath 3 times in 29 matches. That means Wasim has dismissed both these greats 10 times out of 57 appearances and McGrath 10 times out of 52 appearances. Here too, McGrath is ahead in statistics.

Now the question is, does getting a good batsman out mean he is a good bowler? After Wasim, Chris Harris has dismissed Brian Lara the most in ODIs, 6 times in 19 matches. Even Sachin Tendulkar has dismissed Lara 4 times in 22 matches, which is better than McGrath’s ratio. By this, no one will definitely claim that Brian Lara understood Sachin Tendulkar’s ball less than McGrath. Even Andre Nel has dismissed Brian Lara the second most in Tests, 8 times in 12 innings. The highest there is McGrath, 15 times in 48 innings.

So how is it really?

Before we get to that, let’s take a look at some of the Sachin vs McGrath duels.

1999 World Cup. Australia is on the brink. To survive in the tournament, India will not lose any more matches, in such a situation, India faced in the Super Six. Sachin Tendulkar’s performance against Australia in his previous few matches has been excellent. He scored 80 (72 balls), 143 (131 balls) and 134 (131 balls) against Australia in 3 matches in Sharjah. He single-handedly took India to the final and also won the final. He then scored 141 (128 balls) against Australia in the knockout World Cup in Dhaka. After four consecutive innings, Australian captain Steve Waugh was forced to say,

The best Don Bradman ever. But then, of course, Sachin.

However, there was one drawback to this. McGrath was one of the main contributors to Australia’s success at the time. The innings in which he did not get a wicket in the first spell is probably a handful. McGrath has no option but to dismiss the batsmen early. McGrath missed Sachin Tendulkar’s innings due to injury. It’s not that if McGrath was there, Sachin would have failed. But there is no doubt that the fight would have been much more enjoyable. So the fans were eager to see the best form of Sachin and McGrath. The rivalry started with a Super Six match.

Australia batted first and scored 282 runs. In that context, 282 was a fighting score, but it was possible for a strong batting line-up consisting of Sachin-Ganguly-Dravid-Azhar-Jadeja. What was most interesting was how McGrath dealt with Sachin. But McGrath dismissed Sachin for a duck in the 5th ball of the first over to make the match one-sided. McGraw won the first round. After that, they met in a few more matches. McGrath also dismissed Sachin, again Sachin also scored 1 century against McGrath. But in the big match, the two met again in the 2003 World Cup final. However, this time Sachin Tendulkar lost to McGrath, once again, McGrath was dismissed for just 4 runs in the first over. That means McGrath is a two-time winner in a big tournament like the World Cup.

But it’s not really that simple.

Just as Sachin had the advantage of not having McGrath in the Sharjah and Dhaka matches, he also faced some problems in the two World Cups. Sachin’s father passed away during the World Cup. And the fate of the match was decided in the first innings of the 2003 World Cup. At that time, chasing 359 runs in 50 overs, it was impossible to win. Sachin had to take the risk. McGrath was in an advantageous position due to the team’s runs. Therefore, in this context, it is not really fair to accept Sachin personally as a failure.

The number of times a bowler has got a batsman out doesn’t really define the batsman-bowler battle. McGrath was bowling a very good over. The batsman got out while hitting the bowler from the other end. It remains to be seen who created the pressure. The main thing for a bowler is to create conditions rather than dismissing them. A bowler tries to put maximum pressure on the batsman. If you can’t handle the pressure, the batsman will get out.

Wasim was not far behind in dismissing the best batsmen. Wasim dismissed Desmond Haynes, who was considered the best opener until Sachin came, 41 times. Brian Lara had a great comment on how Haynes looked at Wasim.

“” “Before a game against Wasim, I told Desmond that he should bowl that over.” I didn’t want to hit Wasim. Desmond agreed. But after the start of the over, Desmond surprised me by taking 1 run and giving me the strike. I’m shocked. Then I realized that Desmond didn’t want to fuck her. ‘

This is Wasim.

McGrath was undoubtedly ahead of Wasim in terms of team support. McGrath played in a great Australian team. However, it should not be forgotten that McGrath also had a big contribution in making the Australian team great. However, with many of the best batsmen of the time in the Australian team, McGrath had to defend a few runs in a very short time. On the other hand, Wasim’s Pakistan batting line-up was always fragile. Although there were two special batsmen, the overall line-up was at stake. Wasim has mostly had to bowl in conditions where he has rarely been in a more advantageous position than McGrath. Defending a score of 200 + is definitely harder than defending a score of 250 +.

Another factor is the pitch. Australia are one of the best fielding sides in the world, while Pakistan are one of the worst. There is no count of how many catches were missed by Wasim.

Not only do these factors make Wasim better than McGrath, but these factors are to some extent responsible for Wasim’s lag in the statistics.

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Now let’s see, if we leave aside the factors, who is ahead only in terms of skills?

Both Wasim and McGrath are not express bowlers like Waqar, Shoaib or Brett Lee. But the power of the two is different. McGrath is primarily a swing bowler and uses the bounce. His main weapon is to repeatedly hit the ball in the right place rather than variation. McGrath’s bowling philosophy is very simple, to bowl a little outside the off stump in such a place that the batsman is in a state of doubt that he will not hit. McGrath once said of Shoaib and Lee,

“Shoaib is the king of speed. I don’t have that speed. I only know that out of 100 times, a batsman will make a mistake if he throws the ball in the same place 90 times. ‘

And what a strange thing it is that the batsmen, standing up to McGrath, have made that mistake the whole time!

Wasim is different. His main weapon is swing, as well as reverse swing. Wasim Bhelki used to show when the pacers had nothing to do with the old ball. It is said that Wasim could run in the same position and bowl six balls in six ways. Afridi had once said something funny in an interview about Wasim.

Wasim once told Afridi during practice.

“” “Everyone wants to hit the field.” Kill me. ‘

Wasim took 6 wickets. Afridi could not bat in three balls, bowled in the remaining three balls. It is for this variation that Wasim is in demand.

McGrath’s core strength is new, but Wasim Akram is not far behind. But Wasim is ahead of McGrath mainly because of his ability with the old ball. McGrath was not as fluent as Wasim with the old ball. Wasim is far ahead of many other bowlers in terms of turning the match at the end of the innings in ODI cricket.

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Let’s take a look at a few more things to understand.

• Wasim has dismissed a batsman who has scored at least 50 or more runs 43 times, once in every 8.27 innings. McGrath, on the other hand, has managed to dismiss such a batsman only 21 times, once in every 11.90 innings he has dismissed a batsman scoring 50 + runs.
• Wasim has been able to break a 50 + partnership 48 times in the match, while McGrath has been able to break it 31 times.
• Batter has scored 30 centuries in ODIs that Wasim Akram played. Out of these, 7 times he has been able to dismiss a centurion, which stands as a percentage of 23.33. Batter has scored 22 centuries in the matches McGrath has played, he has been able to dismiss the centurion 3 times, which stands at 13.63 percent.

That is, Wasim Akram is ahead of McGrath in terms of dismissing a set batsman.

Just as it is important to take early wickets in one-day cricket, it is also important to take wickets at crucial times at the end of the innings to turn the match. Wasim and McGrath were evenly matched in the early part of the innings, but in the latter part of the innings, Wasim was undoubtedly ahead.

Footnote

Glenn McGrath and Wasim Akram are both great bowlers, any captain would want to have such a bowler in his team. The list of these two players is huge. There has never been a direct comparison between the two players. Therefore, it should not be said directly which player is better. However, in the context of the above discussion, we can say one thing that most experts consider Wasim Akram the best in ODIs.

Reader, if you were asked to pick one of these two in your best ODI team, who would you put?

N.B: First published at Roar Bangla 11th February 2019 in Bangla.