McGrath and Senthilnathan interact with MRF Pace Foundation trainees.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

It was 25 years ago that Mark Butcher scored a monumental 173 not out in England’s successful chase against Australia in the Headingley Test. He scored seven other Test hundreds, some of them against the most fearsome attacks. He is now a popular commentator and sharp analyst of the game. Excerpts from Butcher’s exclusive interview with The Hindu at Lord’s:

Your comparison of Vaibhav Sooryavanshi with Garry Sobers earlier this year got a lot of attention. It was fascinating, how you proved, through the help of visuals, the similarities in the bat swing, hand speed…

I watched him make that 175 [off 80 balls] in the Under-19 World Cup final [against England at Harare]. I was struck by that incredible, long, high backlift, the huge follow-through, the complete circle almost where the bat finishes around, tapping him on the spine. You know, Sobers used to hit a lot of shots with his feet together. He would play full balls almost off the back foot. And Sooryavanshi can hit them like that too.

Even if his career ends up not reaching the expectations that other people have, which I think is very unlikely, he has still in the IPL done something that all of the greatest players up until now have never, ever done: none of them have managed to score at a strike-rate of 230, hit that many sixes, be that consistent in the entirety of the IPL. It is still one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen.

Today’s youngsters are exposed to T20 from the beginning, whereas when I was very young, it was Test matches. They grow up thinking about batting very much in a hyper aggressive mode. These younger guys can do things at their age that we wouldn’t have dreamt of at ours.

ALSO READ | Garry Sobers: cricket’s greatest — a legacy beyond numbers

Yes, even Sachin Tendulkar didn’t hit as many sixes, for all his genius. Sooryavanshi is a product of the T20 era of cricket.

Correct. So he will have to learn the game the other way around. He will have to learn how to bat time, to defend. In our generation, it was the opposite. We would have to spend a lot of time learning how to hit the ball.

How do you recall your masterpiece — 173 not out in 2001?

My main memory is about that summer, really. I wasn’t expecting to play Test cricket again. I got an opportunity and I played 42 Tests in a row. I had completely changed my game.

Your father helped, didn’t he?

That is right. The biggest thing I remember is the relationship I had with my dad in the winter of 2001. I called him and said, ‘Dad, I am hating playing cricket.’ Something that I had always loved. Now I was hating it. And I said to him — ‘Treat me as though I have never played the game before.’ So we went right back to the beginning. He really taught me how to hold the bat, how to stand, the whole thing. We changed my grip. We changed my stance. We changed my backlift. Everything. We went back to zero. Like I was five years old. And we worked like that for about three months. And then I luckily got back into the team. I had made a few runs playing for Surrey. A few injuries in the England camp before the Ashes started, and I got in.

How much does that knock, which came against Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Brett Lee and Jason Gillespie, mean to you?

Ah, it was huge. You wouldn’t be talking to me if it hadn’t been for that. And I wouldn’t be working in TV either. So that innings changed everything. It was the greatest day.

And how was the coach’s reaction?

I know my dad was in tears when [BBC] Test Match Special called him up.

The players you like to watch these days?

I actually love watching K.L. Rahul. I think he is a sensational player. Really classy. Harry Brook is fabulous to watch when he is in. Joe Root, too. And Travis Head — you can’t take your eyes off the screen when he is batting.

You have played against some of the greatest bowlers in history. Who were the most challenging among them?

Blimey! Curtly Ambrose. Him and Courtney Walsh. And then you had, obviously, Shane Warne. Glenn McGrath. Murali [Muttiah Muralitharan].

Among the Indians?

Harbhajan [Singh] and [Anil] Kumble, on those tracks.

And the batters you admired?

[Brian] Lara was sort of the king around about those times. Fellow left-hander, so I greatly admired him. Then the guys like [Ricky] Ponting, Sachin [Tendulkar], obviously. I remember applauding Ricky from second slip at the WACA, much to the annoyance of Nasser Hussain, who was standing next to me at slip. He glared at me. I was just standing there going, ‘Oh man, that’s good’. There were a lot of great players around, like the South Africans, Jacques Kallis and Graeme Smith.

Is there cause for concern about the future of Test cricket?

Yeah, of course, there is. What you would like is to have eight to ten teams who are competing on a level playing field. If only England, Australia and India are playing each other, the game is starting to eat itself, you know.

Eventually, one of the great things about all of the series that go around is that you are anticipating and you are excited about the idea about playing this team at this venue. But if it is the same three teams the whole time, it is not that exciting.

What has happened in the modern era is that the gap between the countries that have plenty of finances and the rest has got wider. The competition has perhaps thinned out a little bit in recent times. And that is a huge shame, that finances have meant that a lot of countries, the West Indies, being the most obvious example simply because of their dominance [in the past], have suffered.

South Africa are kind of hanging in there. They are still producing a lot of players and they still manage just about to keep enough of their most talented players to play Tests. But in places like Sri Lanka and the West Indies, they find it very difficult to keep their best players who disappear off to earn more money playing T20. And that is a problem for the world game.

The First Class game and the structures that produce Test Match cricketers are strong in some places and not very strong at all in others.

Your thoughts on Bazball?

I have been critical of it at times. In the game of cricket, the Test match is the game. And they tried to do something that was going to take the game to a different place. But Test match cricket kind of fought against it a little bit. Because when it came down to it, in the big games against the likes of India and Australia, it didn’t work. And so, Test match cricket is kind of greater than any idea that people might have around how you play it.

And Test cricket is the greatest form of sport.

It is. The sport itself dictates to you what is necessary. And if you push too hard, the game will bite you back. And that is what happened. There is as much pleasure to be taken from a really hard-fought draw sometimes as there is from smashing it all over the park.

ALSO READ | Cricket World Cup – Will expansion lead to elevation?

The women got to play a Test at Lord’s, finally.

This has come about because the world has decided, well, you know, this is a great game of cricket, right? Why would we want to stop 50% of the world’s population from enjoying and playing the sport that we think is a great sport? And so that opportunity is now there and what you are seeing is a product of that.

Players in the women’s game that you enjoy watching?

I like Smriti Mandhana’s batting. She is just an incredibly graceful player. So easy on the eye. Very, very lovely to watch. She plays pace and spin equally well. She reminds me of David Gower, in fact. Harmanpreet Kaur is very good to watch, too. And Jemimah Rodrigues is a fine technician.

Besides cricket, music is your other passion. And you had the opportunity of performing with Sarah Brightman, one of the greatest voices of our time.

It was good fun, singing some of Sarah’s favourite songs on live television. It was kind of nerve-racking, but it was good.

McGrath was swelling with pride when looking back at the IPL performances of Praful, Sakib and Eshan.
| Photo Credit: R. Ragu

Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible performance has prevented the Border-Gavaskar series from becoming completely lopsided in Australia’s favour, said pace great Glenn McGrath, lauding the India spearhead for his ball-control and ability to adapt quickly. India trail 1-2 in the five-match series that will conclude with the game here starting Friday. Bumrah has been the visiting side’s standout performer with 30 wickets so far at a jaw-dropping average of less than 20. India’s batting, however, has been poor and lacked planning.

“He has been a massive part of the Indian team and without him, the series might have been more one-sided and what he does is special,” McGrath told media-persons on the sidelines of his foundation’s cancer awareness event here.

The 54-year-old, who was among the most consistent and dreaded pacers of his era, has been actively involved in cancer awareness programmes after losing his wife Jane to the disease back in 2008.

He has been following the ongoing series and much like the rest of Australia, he too is bowled over by the Gujarat slinger’s amazing skill-set.

“Terrific young guy who has found a way to adapt. Absolutely incredible how he powers into bowl the last few steps,” McGrath said of Bumrah’s short run-up.

The man with 563 Test wickets also found eerie similarities between him and the Indian in terms of hyper-extension of their arms (when the elbow joint bends backward beyond its normal range).

He said it allows them to land the ball a few inches further.

“Got a little bit of hyper extension which I used to have as well. He is coping with it, he has incredible control both ways, guess they are managing him well. I am a massive fan of Jasprit,” said the lanky former bowler, who was nicknamed ‘Pigeon’ by his teammates for his thin legs.

Having worked at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, McGrath is impressed with the talent pool in India and said one of his wards, Prasidh Krishna, has a bright future.

“India, with 1.4 billion people, have absolute passion for the game of cricket. Working with MRF Pace Foundation for the last 12 years, we have Prasidh Krishna, who is in the squad.

“He is a good young bowler and I think, they will have a good career ahead of him. There’s no shortage of players and (it is) not just the bowlers but also batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“What’s good about these young players is they are fearless. We have got Sam Konstas who is similar.” McGrath was also glad to see that Test cricket is well and truly alive given that record crowds showed up to watch the fourth Test in Melbourne.

“The cricket that was played in Melbourne was amazing and it lasted all five days with Australia getting over the line in the final session and 370,000 fans turning up has been absolutely incredible, because Test cricket is still the ultimate.

“We need to look after (it) but the Boxing Day Test tells me that Test cricket is alive and hopefully, we will see something similar over here,” he said.

He is also confident that Mitchell Starc will be fit and available for the final Test here. But will Australia risk him? ” It also depends on the state of the Test series and it is a massive game. Australia haven’t beaten India in the last two (Border-Gavaskar) series and that is unheard of.

“This is a massive Test. Guess it will be upto Mitch and he will do anything possible to play the match.”

In this file photo dated March 12, 2022, Indian bowler Jasprit Bumrah celebrates the wicket of Sri Lankan batter Angelo Mathews during the 2nd Test cricket match between India and Sri Lanka. Bumrah has been nominated for the ICC Test Cricketer of the Year.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Jasprit Bumrah’s incredible performance has prevented the Border-Gavaskar series from becoming completely lopsided in Australia’s favour, said pace great Glenn McGrath, lauding the India spearhead for his ball-control and ability to adapt quickly.

India trail 1-2 in the five-match series that will conclude with the game here starting Friday. Bumrah has been the visiting side’s standout performer with 30 wickets so far at a jaw-dropping average of less than 20. India’s batting, however, has been poor and lacked planning.

“He has been a massive part of the Indian team and without him, the series might have been more one-sided and what he does is special,” McGrath told media-persons on the sidelines of his foundation’s cancer awareness event here.

The 54-year-old, who was among the most consistent and dreaded pacers of his era, has been actively involved in cancer awareness programmes after losing his wife Jane to the disease back in 2008.

He has been following the ongoing series and much like the rest of Australia, he too is bowled over by the Gujarat slinger’s amazing skill-set.

“Terrific young guy who has found a way to adapt. Absolutely incredible how he powers into bowl the last few steps,” McGrath said of Bumrah’s short run-up.

The man with 563 Test wickets also found eerie similarities between him and the Indian in terms of hyper-extension of their arms (when the elbow joint bends backward beyond its normal range).

He said it allows them to land the ball a few inches further.

“Got a little bit of hyper extension which I used to have as well. He is coping with it, he has incredible control both ways, guess they are managing him well. I am a massive fan of Jasprit,” said the lanky former bowler, who was nicknamed ‘Pigeon’ by his teammates for his thin legs.

Having worked at the MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, McGrath is impressed with the talent pool in India and said one of his wards, Prasidh Krishna, has a bright future.

“India, with 1.4 billion people, have absolute passion for the game of cricket. Working with MRF Pace Foundation for the last 12 years, we have Prasidh Krishna, who is in the squad.

“He is a good young bowler and I think, they will have a good career ahead of him. There’s no shortage of players and [it is] not just the bowlers but also batters like Yashasvi Jaiswal.

“What’s good about these young players is they are fearless. We have got Sam Konstas who is similar.”

McGrath was also glad to see that Test cricket is well and truly alive given that record crowds showed up to watch the fourth Test in Melbourne.

“The cricket that was played in Melbourne was amazing and it lasted all five days with Australia getting over the line in the final session and 370,000 fans turning up has been absolutely incredible, because Test cricket is still the ultimate.

“We need to look after [it] but the Boxing Day Test tells me that Test cricket is alive and hopefully, we will see something similar over here,” he said.

He is also confident that Mitchell Starc will be fit and available for the final Test here. But will Australia risk him? “It also depends on the state of the Test series and it is a massive game. Australia haven’t beaten India in the last two [Border-Gavaskar] series and that is unheard of.”

“This is a massive Test. Guess it will be upto Mitch and he will do anything possible to play the match.”

The last few months have been quite tough for Virat Kohli. After a string of poor performances, Kohli decided to hang his boots in the shortest format. However, runs haven’t been flowing from his bat effortlessly in the longer formats too. The top-order batter really struggled against New Zealand in the 3-match series that India lost 0-3. His struggles have been quite visible in the net sessions and practice games as well, ahead of the start of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against Australia in Perth.

Amid the chatter around his form, Australia legend Glenn McGrath feels a couple of low scores on the Australia tour could see Virat sink even lower in terms of form.

“If they go hard at him, if he gets in the fight with emotions, there’s a bit of chat out there, who knows he might sort of lift,” McGrath told CODE Sports’ Daniel Cherny.

“But I think he’s probably under pressure a little bit, and if he has a couple of low scores to start with, he could really feel it.

“I think he’s quite an emotional player. When he’s up, he’s up, and when he’s down, he sort of struggles a little bit.”

Team India is undoubtedly under pressure after the 0-3 hammering received in the home Test assignment against New Zealand. McGrath expects Australia to put India under pressure right from the first ball and test their nerves to come out of the rut they are presently in.

“Without a doubt, especially after coming off a 3-0 loss against New Zealand, you’ve got plenty of ammunition to back yourself up,” McGrath asserted

“So put the pressure on them and see if they’re up for it.”

Even India’s practice sessions haven’t gone as planned in Australia, with top batters like Kohli, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rishabh Pant, etc struggling to put runs on the board.

Australia spinner Adam Zampa overtook former pacer Nathan Bracken to become Australia’s eighth-highest wicket-taker in ODIs on Saturday. Zampa made this upward movement in the charts during the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s. In the match, Zampa was somewhat the only positive for Australian bowling, taking two wickets for 66 runs in eight overs at an ecomomy rate of 8.25. He got crucial wickets of half-centurions Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.

Now, in 102 ODIs since his debut in 2016, Zampa has taken 175 wickets at an average of 27.99, with best figures of 5/35. He has 11 four-wicket hauls and a five-wicket haul in ODIs.

On the other hand, Bracken, a prominent Aussie pacer from 2001-09, once ranked number one in 50-over format, took 174 wickets in 116 ODIs at an average of 24.36, with best figures of 5/47. He took five 4-wicket hauls and two five-wicket hauls in ODIs.

Pace legends Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee (380 wickets each) are joint-highest wicket-takers in ODIs for Aussies.

Coming to the match, Australia won the toss and opted to field first.

England started off with a fine 48-run opening stand between Phil Salt (22 in 27 balls, with three fours) and Ben Duckett. After a brief stumble, skipper Harry Brook recorded a 79-run partnership with Duckett (63 in 62 balls, with six fours and a six) and a 75-run partnership with Jamie Smith (39 in 28 balls, with a four and two sixes). Brook missed out on a well-deserved second-successive ODI ton, scoring 87 in 58 balls, with 11 fours and a six.

Liam Livingstone (62* in 27 balls, with three fours and seven sixes) provided some brilliant finishing touches, smashing Mitchell Starc for 28 runs as England scored 312/5 in their 39 overs.

Adam Zampa (2/66) was the pick of the bowlers. Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, and Josh Hazlewood got a wicket each.

In the run-chase, openers Travis Head (34 in 23 balls, with four boundaries and two sixes) and skipper Marsh (28 in 34 balls, with two fours and a six) provided a fine start with a 68-run stand. However, after their partnership was broken, it was all downhill for Australia, who was skittled out for 126 in 24.4 overs, thanks to brilliant spells from Matthew Potts (4/38) and Brydon Carse (3/36). England levelled the five-match series 2-2 with a 186-run win.

Brook secured the ‘Player of the Match’ award.