First of all I would like to say that I don’t like Macgill. For some reason I just don’t like him. Oftentimes I have noticed him acting arrogantly (which is something not unusal considering him being an australian player).
Anyway here in this thread, I would like to compare him as a spinner with warne and I think macgill has been a very unlucky player in his career. He is good enough to be a permanent member of anyside including australia, but just didn’t get enough chances in his career because of warne.
However, recently I started noticing that Macgill is performing equally well when playing with warne.
Since January 2005, Australia has played 19 Test matches and currently playing their 20th with BD. Macgill only played 6 of them, whereas Warne not only featured in those 6 matches, but in all 19 matches.
On comparing his recent figures with warne, I found out that both have achieved 30 wickets each in the last 6 games they have played together.
After this current match with BD, which was their 7th appearance together in the last 20 test matches Australia has played, Macgill who already has 8 wickets in the first innings, will most likely be ahead of Warne in terms of number of wickets in their recent combined apperances.
The question is, does Macgill have enough energy and strength left to stay in business till Warne retires. He is 35 and one and a half year younger than Warne. If he does that and no other rookie shows up, than he could finally be Australian first choice spinner and a permanent member in test matches for couple of years.
I have always noticed that Macgill takes more wickets than Warne and is probably a better spinner than Warne...but he is extremely unlucky to have been born at pretty much the same time as Warne and consequently hasnt had any chances because of Warne...
A great career decision would have been to switch to England at an earlier part of his career and I am sure England would have taken him with both hands...Lekin tht is a very difficult decision...But I know Kevin Pietersen took tht decision and is doing fairly well....
And tht drives me to the question "Is playing cricket and making money more important thn playing for ure own country even if offered less chances...oR should you go the country tht is willing to accept ure talent and give u the chances tht u so deserve???"
Yea....you can he has been unlucky but it was not possible for them to include both unless wicket is very spinning one....secondly warne has passed his prime and macgill has only 8 to 9 yrs in cricket as compared to warne who has now 14 yrs....But the reality is that australia won the RAWALPINDI test in 1998 only due to MACgill and thenwon the series in Pak after 35 yrs where as warne couldnot produce that result in 1994 in pakistan and in 1998 and 2001 in india...
At the age of 35, and Warne has already stamped himself in the Cricket World as one of the best spin-bowlers, I doubt they will look at him for an option, its not Taya Arshad they will look for the younger blood to fill the gap, that might come from china-man, off-spin or leg-spin bowling!
No doubt he is a good bowler, he hasn’t been utilized properly by CA and his time is running short. Maybe couple more series but thats about it I dont see him past WC07
Having already been humiliated by Bangladesh’s one-day team on the darkest day of his national captaincy in Cardiff last June, Ponting must shudder to think what would have eventuated yesterday had he not been able to call on MacGill. He kept the Bangladesh batsmen guessing, and the hectic scoring rate they achieved on the opening day slowed to a crawl as their final five wickets fell for 82 in a tedious 35 overs yesterday.
MacGill’s Test record grows more impressive with each sporadic appearance in the baggy green.
He now boasts 190 wickets in his 39th Test. In the 130-year history of the elite game, only Pakistan seamer Waqar Younis (33 Tests), and Australians Clarrie Grimmett (35) and Dennis Lillee (36) have claimed as many scalps in fewer matches.
While it's true that in matches they've played together, McGill has taken more wickets than Warne, but so has I think Kaneria. I wouldn't rate McGill better than Warne, no way. First, he has this roundish arm action, and then he keeps his collars up that really ticks me off...
I am not rating him higher than Warne. All I am saying is that he was unlucky and didn't get alot of chances.
As far as comparison with kaneria goes, Macgill has performed in presence of bowlers like Mcgrath, Lee, Gillespi, Warne in the team. And mind you he has done that by not playing regularly in the side. This is something not easy to achieve.
Thanks for providing the two articles, Khan Jee. Good to read the different comments by folks as well.
Stuart MacGill, Shane Warne’s perennial understudy, heads the list of bowlers with the highest percentage of five-fors in wins. He is the only bowler with more than ten five-wicket hauls to have a 100% win-rate though Jason Gillespie is not far behind. Australia has won each of the eight times Gillespie has taken five wickets in an innings. MacGill has taken four of his eight five-wicket hauls in Australia at the SCG, where he has 53 wickets from only eight Tests.
they will look for the younger blood to fill the gap, that might come from china-man, off-spin or leg-spin bowling!