Holding warns McGrath not to stay too long
Michael Holding believes that Glenn McGrath should bring the curtain down on his Test career at the end of the Ashes series and retire completely following next year's World Cup
Cricinfo staff
17-Dec-2006
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McGrath returned to the Australia Test line-up to face England after taking time out to care for his ill wife and has faced questions about his long-term position in the team. Despite six wickets in the first innings at Brisbane, there have been clear signs that he is not the force of old, especially when conditions offer little encouragement.
"I think Glenn has been magnificent for Australian cricket and no one can ever question his contribution," Holding told Sydney's Sunday Telegraph. "I'd say he's in the top three fast bowlers I've seen, alongside Dennis Lillee and Malcolm Marshall, but he's at an age where he cannot produce what he did two years ago.
"Obviously it's up to Glenn but he has nothing left to prove. I hope he recognises when it is time to go. The World Cup would be a great time for Glenn to say goodbye.''
Holding, who retired at 33, thinks McGrath should leave the game before it gets to the stage where he is taken apart by batsmen. "It's a fine line," he said. "I hope he doesn't hang around too long. It's better to get out when you have a little bit left rather than hang around and end up past your best. McGrath doesn't need that."