Warne or McGrath?

[KennyG]

If you had to choose one to play every other country twice ,(India in Australia then Australia in India,so on) who would you have picked?

[Occasional Fan]

How can this be answered? Warne and McGrath just are not comparable head to head, surely? If I needed a spinner, I'd take Warne. If I needed a quick, I'd take McGrath. I don't see how to make a decision otherwise.

[Tendlya]

I always rated Mcgrath over warne.

Both warne and Mcgrath have single handedly won matches for AUS.Both tasted good amount of success.Talking about AUS's glorious moments like Ashes wins and WC wins, both played their own roles.

However,warne did not trouble Lara and Sachin to the extent Mcgrath did.I would go in for Mcgrath on any surface

[pie_chucker]

I've always rated Warne. The greatest spinner ever, with an excellent cricketing brain.

Personally, I dont rate McGrath as the greatest ever seamer, although I would "only" have Lillee, Marshall and Ambrose ahead of him.

[Quagmire]

Can't compare one is a legspinner one is a pace bowler. Two Legends and both arguably the best ever at there trades

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by pie_chucker

I've always rated Warne. The greatest spinner ever, with an excellent cricketing brain.

Both players thrived on helpful pitches pace and bounce.. and in both cases, what set them apart from the rest was surely NOT this: it was the way they coped when they didn't have those advantages. Many bowlers could bowl better deliveries... but it was the mental toughness ability to use their grooved action to simply suffocate batsmen for over after over after over.

I'd rate stacks of bowlers as worthy of comparison with McGrath and Warne in conditions that gave the bowler the chance to really dominate... but McGrath and Warne were able to dominate when nothing they did with any indivual ball seemed that special - when each ball, in isolation, seemed eminently playable, and not really anything special compared with all the others.

For what it's worth... I might put Warne down on the teamsheet first for the simple reason that you could get 40 overs a day out of him, because he's a first rate slip catcher and because he's a decent no 7-8 batsman... but Sri Lanka could have had one of the two of them for the last 10 years... they'd surely have been better off with McGrath!

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Rachael

but Sri Lanka could have had one of the two of them for the last 10 years... they'd surely have been better off with McGrath!

Dont know about that, Warne and Murali would have made a fearsome pairing on a turning wicket.

[Quagmire]

Warne and Muralitharan from each end 30 overs on a turning wicket. No team would make over 200 especially on a day 4 or 5 wicket

[Milo]

On who might be the better bowler I think you could argue either way. However, as a new ball bowler there were many as good as McGrath (Lillee, Marshall, Garner, Hadlee, Imran, Donald were all as dangerous against all opponents). As a leg spinner, Warne was without challenge.

McGrath may have won more test matches (and I think he did) - that's the nature of playing cricket with a new cherry every time, the game is really set up for the pace bowlers, but Warne really was special. OK India mastered him - it is a pity that the first two tours of India he had shoulder and finger injuries. His final tour of India he had the disappointment to miss the final test where he's have got his 10 in the match.

In 20 years, people will not be talking about McGrath. Someone will have risen up to take his place. They will still be talking about Warne.

[pie_chucker]

Originally Posted by Milo

On who might be the better bowler I think you could argue either way. However, as a new ball bowler there were many as good as McGrath (Lillee, Marshall, Garner, Hadlee, Imran, Donald were all as dangerous against all opponents). As a leg spinner, Warne was without challenge.

In 20 years, people will not be talking about McGrath. Someone will have risen up to take his place. They will still be talking about Warne.

Exactly correct, you can name fast bowlers who were as good as or better than McGrath but you cant name a spinner as good as Warne.