Pigeon not flying away yet

Glenn McGrath says the talk of his retirement is funny

Madeleine Coorey

Australian paceman Glenn McGrath would not be drawn into discussion whether the current Ashes series against England will be his last Test action — insisting he still relishes playing at the highest level. McGrath — third in the all-time Test bowling charts with 555 wickets — played down a report in Sydney’s Daily Telegraph that he would bow out of Test cricket after the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney but continue to play one-day internationals. The 36-year-old said Shane Warne’s resignation from the Australian team did not mean he would be following suit.

“To be honest, I haven’t said anything (about retiring). It’s funny where it all comes from,” McGrath told commercial radio. “To me, I’m just preparing for another game. Nothing’s changed since the end of the Perth Test match, apart from the fact that Shane Warne’s retiring at the end of the Sydney Test. So it’s funny how Warnie decides that and... whether it’s in his wake and I’m being pulled along as well or whether the media think it’s time for me to go, I don’t know.”

But asked whether this Ashes series would mark his last Test appearance, McGrath was non-committal. “I’m saying that, to me, it’s business as usual,” he said. The Daily Telegraph reported that McGrath would fly to Melbourne on Friday for the fourth Ashes Test carrying his resignation letter after discussing his departure from cricket with his wife Jane, who has endured a lengthy battle with cancer.

McGrath, who has claimed more Test wickets than any other fast bowler, will play in the domestic one-day series and the World Cup in the West Indies which begins in March. But Australia are unlikely to play another Test after the Sydney match for 11 months.

“I don’t look that far ahead. In previous years, I haven’t said I’m looking forward to the Test in eight months or 12 months so, for me, it’s just another day at the office. I’ve still got a lot of cricket in me.”