But so long as Glenn McGrath is nagging away at Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain knows all is well with his champion quick.
ST JOHN'S/ANTIGUA: Being criticised by an angry fast bowler is not most people's idea of fun. But so long as Glenn McGrath is nagging away at Ricky Ponting, the Australia captain knows all is well with his champion quick.
McGrath heads into Saturday's Super Eight game against Bangladesh just one victim away from equalling Pakistan great Wasim Akram's World Cup record of 52 wickets and, although this is his last tournament before retirement, the 37-year-old New South Welshman's standards have shown no signs of slipping.
In Australia's last match, a 103-run over the West Indies on Wednesday, McGrath took three for 31 and his figures for the tournament overall now stand at nine wickets for 140 runs at a typically miserly average of just over 15 apiece.
"He's bowled very well since we've been here," Ponting said of McGrath at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium on Friday.
"He's a very proud man, Glenn. He's probably is own harshest critic. He's pushing himself to the limit at the moment and he wants to get everything out of these last few games that he possibly can. He actually had a dig at me the other day for not bowling him at the tail against the West Indies because he wanted a couple more wickets," he said.
McGrath, the most successful fast bowler in the history of Test cricket with 563 wickets from 124 matches, bowed out of the five-day game after Australia's 5-0 Ashes clean sweep of England was completed in January.
So too did Australia leg-spin legend Shane Warne, who tops the all-time Test bowling standings with 708 wickets in 145 matches.
Although a more reserved character beyond the boundary than the colourful Warne, Ponting said the two players similar attributes on the field made them a dream to captain.
"When it's game day he gets out there and just delivers for you. He's a great competitor, he's a bit like Shane Warne in that capacity. When it's big game time it's generally the Warnes and McGraths and those sorts of guys that really stand up and so far he's been terrific," Ponting said.
Ponting and McGrath are two of the seven survivors from the Australia side that went down to a dramatic five-wicket one-day defeat against Bangladesh in June 2005 at Cardiff's Sophia Gardens - a match where McGrath's 10 wicketless overs cost 43 runs.
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