Here we bring in a new, untold, and rare cricket fact: Glenn McGrath has taken a wicket on his last career ball in 2 formats (Test and T20I). No other bowler has ever accomplished this feat.
Glenn McGrath is a cricketer whose name is linked with quick bowling. He is largely regarded as one of the greatest bowlers of all time, with 949 international wickets. However, one of his records sticks out: he took a wicket on the last ball of his career in the Test and T20I formats of the game.
McGrath retired from international cricket in 2007, having played 124 Tests, 250 ODIs, and two Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). He had a remarkable career, bagging 563 Test wickets, 381 ODI wickets, and 5 T20I wickets. However, it is how he concluded his career that has cemented his status as a sports icon.
List of All Amazing Cricket Facts Articles
ACF 1: A Hat Trick in 3 Overs, 2 Innings, and 2 Days
ACF 2: Ashwin’s clean sweep against Australia in 2013
ACF 3: When Kapil Dev hit 4 Sixes in a row to avoid the follow-on!
ACF 4: Anil Kumble vs batsmen at nervous 90s
ACF 5: Mohammad Azharuddin holds the World Record of 3 Consecutive Centuries in First Three Tests
ACF 6: When Jasprit Bumrah scored 35 runs off Stuart Broad’s Over in a Test Match
ACF 7: Glenn McGrath Dismissed 104 Batsmen on a Duck in Tests
ACF 8: Glenn McGrath took Wickets on his Last Balls in Test and T20I
ACF 9: The Timeless Test – The Longest Cricket Match that lasted 12 Days
ACF 10: When Mohammad Sami Bowled the Longest Over in Cricket
ACF 11: When Bangladesh Lost 21 Consecutive Test Matches
ACF 12: When Kumar Sangakkara Scored Four Consecutive Centuries in ODI
ACF 13: When Don Bradman Scored 309 Runs in a Single Day of a Test Match
ACF 14: Graeme Smith Converted First 4 Test Centuries to 150+ Scores
ACF 15: When England Declared their Innings on 0/0!
ACF 16: Picking the First 50 ODI Wickets Within a Year of Debut
ACF-17: The Only 3 Players with a Double of 10000 and 500 Wickets in Cricket
ACF 18: When Pakistan Lost by an Innings After Scoring 500+ Runs
ACF 19: All-Rounders with More-than-one Centuries and Five-wicket Hauls at a Single Venue
ACF 20: India Scored 400-plus Totals in 6 Consecutive Test Innings
ACF 21: 4 Batters Who Scored 10000+ Test Runs in a Particular Batting Position
ACF 22: When Aravinda de Silva Scored 2 Unbeaten Centuries in a Test Match
ACF 23: When Vivian Richards became the fastest player to Score 2000 ODI Runs in Australia
ACF 24: Adam Gilchrist Scored All 16 ODI Centuries in Wins
ACF 25: Highest Partnerships by No. 10 and 11 Batters in Test Cricket
ACF 26: When Australia Won 15 Consecutive Matches in ICC Tournaments
The Last Ball in T20 Internationals
McGrath’s first achievement came in the Twenty20 International format. He only played two T20Is in his career, one against New Zealand and the other, the final, against England in June 2005.
McGrath was determined to end his career on a good note in the second T20I, which also happened to be his final T20I encounter. On the final ball of his T20I career, which was eventually the 20th over, he bowled to Paul Collingwood and got him out caught, therefore ending his T20I career.
The Last Ball in Test Cricket
McGrath’s next success in this area came in the Test format. He was playing against England in the fifth and final Ashes Test of 2007, which also happened to be his last.
McGrath had declared his retirement before the series began, and he was determined to finish his career on a high note. On the final delivery of his career on January 5, 2007, he bowled to England’s James Anderson and got him caught out, capping up his Test career in style.
Bonus: The Second Last Ball in One Day Internationals
McGrath’s final ODI wicket came at the ICC World Cup. He was playing against Sri Lanka in the World Cup finals in April 2007, which was also his final ODI.
McGrath had declared his retirement from One Day International cricket prior to the commencement of the tournament, and he was determined to leave his career on a high note. On the second last ball of his career, he took the wicket of Russel Arnold and had him caught behind by Gilchrist, capping off a spectacular ODI bowling career.
Final Thoughts
As a bowler who has a great deal of potential and has put in a lot of effort to hone that talent, McGrath earned the right to close off his international career on a high note. And he most definitely did, because, in every game variation he played, he was successful with a wicket off the very last delivery he bowled.
McGrath also has a fantastic record of dismissing 104 batsmen for a duck in Tests. Click the link below to read more about it.
