Life Starts at 40 for Glen McGrath

Glenn McGrath is in his 40th year. He is a man raising two children and running a full time charity founded by his wife, Jane, who passed away last year after a long battle with cancer.

And yet, in the coming weeks, he will add to his many commitments by pushing his frame through five grueling weeks of competition with the Delhi Daredevils in the IPL. It is, by any estimate, a massive ask, and even more so when it is considered McGrath has not sent down a delivery in international cricket since the 2007 World Cup final.

With his day-to-day activities largely focused on a non-profit organization, the opportunity to earn for his family - his auction price was $US350,000 - serves as a major motivation for McGrath as he enters his second IPL season. But this is no charity case. Last year, while contending with much heartache at home, the Australian paceman earned his pay cheque by emerging as the most economical (6.61) and durable (14 games) of Delhi's bowlers. McGrath believes more is to come this time around.

McGrath says “There is a lot of incentive going over there with the money they're offering. Cricket is not something that I have a great desire to get back and play at the moment. I'm very happy being retired and with everything that I achieved in my life. In saying that, as soon as I got on the field in India (in 2008), I couldn't help being competitive. My natural instincts came out and I was away. That won't be an issue.”

With the Aussie juggernaut somewhat being slowed down, if not halted in the past couple of months they would do well to ask Glen to come down & bowl a few for them……for now the cricketing world will have to be content with him participating only in the IPL. How good (or should I say ECONOMICAL) he will still be will be revealed to us soon, its now only a matter of time!