Glenn, people normally are loved, respected and feared.  I never loved you as you were an Aussie pacer and I am an ardent Indian cricket fan especially of Sachin Tendulkar. I don’t know whether I respected you, but I certainly feared you especially when you were bowling to some of our weaklings. I also feared you and perhaps hated you as well when you snared at Sachin whenever he survived a snaring delivery from you. As you were behind many an Indian defeats against Australia both in test and one day matches especially the world cup in South Africa I could never see a reason to come out of the sea of dislike and hatred that you made me accumulate by your cricketing legendary genius.

But the admiration that exists for all humans in some corner of their heart for anything exemplary sneaked out of my veins and was staring at you during your IPL days. I was relaxed without the old fear as I watch you bowl not against India. You also sprinted in the field notwithstanding your 39 years matching the nineteen year olds. As you stopped bowling against Indians I could see more of the McGrath without the cricket uniform.

It was then I learnt that your wife is battling cancer. I was upset to begin with and was concerned more as more news trickled. While I never supported your angry face in the ground even if you were right, I was very much appreciative and supportive of you when you had a tiff with Ramnaresh Sarwan of the West Indies who chose to comment in the field on the cancer. Slowly it was respects galore for you from me as I realized of your on field achievements with the off field battle at home.

It is almost a decade long battle your wife Jane had fought with cancer and you stood by her steadfastly with most fans not realizing that you also had off field life. Your nagging bowling that most often started the slide for the opponents had completely clouded the thought that you do have an off field life also. Also you annoyed the opponents and obviously their fans with your catching and rarely with batting as well. I have watched you cross 300, 400 and 500 wickets in test cricket and also your hat trick that added misery to the opponent fans. But dear Glenn, you never made any one of the then adversary feel that you had a home where you had a battle to be won as importantly as the one you got for your nation so frequently. While as a Management Consultant I am familiar with extraordinary words like ‘commitment’ I have never seen it so silently, professionally and astutely executed as you did.

I am amazed that all your achievements of wickets in test and one day cricket have come in the last decade when you were fighting an equally tough battle away from the ground but kept it almost invisible to the majority. What a way to exemplarily display commitment without talking about it. Now it is obviously respect that overwhelms when the word Glenn comes to the mind, the fear has receded to the background and the love overflows not only because of your past achievements and the invisible circumstances but because what you chose to do.

I never knew that there is a McGrath Foundation to support cancer patients. Another silent commendable act from Glenn. While Jane is no more, I find solace that you and your children James and Holly were on her side when she breathed last. I pray Almighty God to give you and your children enough strength to bear this irreparable loss. May the departed soul rest in peace.

Glenn McGrath will be respected for all the achievements silent visible and invisible, loved for the kindness of the establishment of McGrath Foundation and for not bowling in test and one day matches anymore and will be feared on the thought of it.     

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