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.
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.
