'LBW? It should've been Shoulder Before Wicket' - Glenn McGrath recalls getting Sachin Tendulkar lbw off a bouncer

Australian fast bowler Glenn McGrath and Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar had a plethora of epic battles throughout their storied careers. While McGrath was an epitome of discipline, immaculate line-and-lengths and relentlessness, Tendulkar was a perfect example of the product when talent meets temperament.

Every time that India and Australia would play during their playing days, the battle was always billed as a context between icons like Sachin and Warne or Sachin and McGrath. Both McGrath and Sachin had a fair share of success against each other.

Who can forget that controversial LBW [SBW] dismissal of Tendulkar in Adelaide 1999, the decision given by Daryl Harper? Or the sledge that the Master hurled at ‘Pigeon’ before going hammer and tongs against the great fast bowler during the 2000 ICC Knockout Trophy? Or that catch by McGrath to dismiss Sachin in the 2003 World Cup final which proceeded to break a billion hearts?

Glenn McGrath recently featured in a private session hosted by HCL Technology during the World Economic Forum [WEF] where he recalled plethora of incidents involving him and Sachin, the first of them being the controversial LBW that Umpire Daryl Harper gave of Sachin during the 1999 Test in Adelaide.

Glenn McGrath recalls the incident

Glenn McGrath recalled the incident during the chat stating the reason why he appealed despite the ball hitting Sachin Tendulkar’s shoulder. He also added that the latter wasn’t impressed at all with the umpire for giving him out and also termed the dismissal as SBW (shoulder before wicket) and not LBW.

“Sachin was batting and I think he had still not scored many runs or was still on zero, having just come in. I bowled him a bouncer and Sachin is not the tallest guy going around. The bouncer will generally bounce and clear him quite easily, but that day when it bounced, it kept low and he ducked it and it hit him on his shoulder. And because he is not very tall, when he ducked it… from where I could see, I could see the bails over the top and it was hitting the middle stumps.

“So, I appealed and the umpire gave him out and he was not happy. So he walks off. Is it LBW? Probably, it should have been SBW or Shoulder Before Wicket,” McGrath said. The Australian star said every time he meets Tendulkar, the Master never fails to remind him that the ball was comfortably going over the wickets.

“Again many Indians were not happy with that match and I got sledged a lot after that. But that’s the passion, people have for cricket in India, especially when it comes to Sachin,” McGrath concluded.

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