v West Indies, May 2003Glenn McGrath was often in a flap with head-shaking curses, but on day four at the Antigua Recreation Ground he was off the Pigeon scale. His wife, Jane, was suffering with cancer back home and a grumpy McGrath was at the other end of the world, watching a Test match slip away. So he sledged Ramnaresh Sarwan, asking in rather graphic terms about his relationship with Brian Lara. Sarwans reply took in McGraths wife, apparently unaware of the seriousness of her condition. McGrath simmered, calling in umpire Srinivas Venkataraghavan as he collected his cap, and the argument appeared settled. But in between overs something snapped and McGrath had a meltdown of tired-toddler proportions. He strode towards Sarwan, pointing and shouting: If you ****ing mention my wife again, Ill ****ing rip your ****ing throat out.Surprisingly, the yelling did not gain the frown of the match referee, but the reaction in Australia was severe. Critics complained it was another example of the ugly Australians under Steve Waughs captaincy, especially when they were losing. West Indies won the Test, with Sarwans century helping West Indies in their record chase of 418. A couple of days after the match McGrath reflected on how he had been trying to remain calmer on the field. Its something that I have worked on quite a bit, especially since becoming a father, he said. I am a little bit disappointed in myself that I did do it.v England, November 1994 Even masters dont always find things easy in the beginning. McGrath had been dropped after his first Test against New Zealand a year earlier and after going wicketless in the opening Ashes encounter, was cut again. Then a skinny 24-year-old, he was still trying to hone the consistency that would take him towards all-time greatness. Steve Waugh, who would later captain McGrath during an all-conquering reign, noticed the early insecurity. In his autobiography Waugh said McGrath struggled to feel comfortable until enough faith in his potential was shown by the selectors. The chairman, Laurie Sawle, and his panel were certainly not convinced of McGraths powers when he faced England for the first time at the Gabba. There were no breakthroughs in his 29 overs across the match, although it was a little tricky to organise a decent look at the batsmen with Shane Warne capturing 11 victims in the 184-run triumph.Still, this was the first of only five times in 124 Tests that McGrath did not take a wicket - and the one occasion when the punishment was the axe. After being 12th man for three games, McGrath had learned his lesson and England never saw him as an easy target again. In the final Test, in Perth, he dismissed the captain Michael Atherton in both innings, initiating a hex that would end with 19 dismissals in 17 matches. Those six wickets at the WACA were also the first of 157 against the old enemy.v England, August 2005 Never has a stray ball caused so much pain. McGraths slip and twist of an ankle at Edgbaston really turned Ashes history. Australia were leading the series after their 239-run walkover in the opening Test at Lords and it seemed the contest would follow the same striking pattern as over the previous 16 years. Ricky Pontings squad arrived at the ground half an hour earlier than expected, leaving the players to mess about on the outfield before the formal warm-up. A rugby ball was picked up and the reserve wicketkeeper, Brad Haddin, started passing it to McGrath. All normal so far. But Haddin then threw one that bounced in front of McGrath and went past him. He turned to pick it up but did not see a cricket ball that had been placed on the ground by an Australian coach in preparation for throwing drills. After one false step, McGrath was on the ground with a sharp pain. Im in a bad way here, he thought, before a scan confirmed a ligament tear in his right ankle.To continue the chaos, Ponting won the toss and sent England in. By the end of the day the relieved hosts were 407, having rattled along at more than five an over. On the final morning, McGraths replacement, Michael Kasprowicz, was last man out, giving a buoyant and disbelieving England victory by two runs. Australias limp remained throughout the rest of the series.v Sri Lanka, January 1996 Few line-ups were able to shake McGrath from his suffocating control for long but the Sri Lankans, turbo-charged by the tiny Romesh Kaluwitharana, managed it during a volatile tri-series. Tall and precise, McGrath struggled against agile and innovative opponents, who were in the process of transforming from international minnows to World Cup winners. It was a spiteful summer, starting with Muttiah Muralitharan being called for throwing in the Boxing Day Test, and finishing with the squads not shaking hands when Australia won the one-day tournament at the SCG. McGrath was involved with ball and lip, including during the embarrassment of suffering the worst bowling figures in Australias limited-overs history at the time. Kaluwitharana had been providing a dose of rocket power since being promoted to open, and in the final preliminary match at the MCG he locked on to McGrath.McGrath removed Sanath Jayasuriya early but he was blasted for 76 in 9.4 overs, with Kaluwitharana responsible for much of the damage.Robert Craddock, writing in the Courier Mail, said it was Cyclone Kaluwitharana who sucked up McGrath and tossed him back to earth. So strong was Kaluwitharanas hitting during the series that the captain, Mark Taylor, said Australias bowlers were probably intimidated by it. Kaluwitharanas 74 off 68 deliveries pushed Sri Lanka to their second win of the series over Australia, and signalled their rise ahead of their imminent World Cup success. For McGrath, these figures would remain his worst in coloured clothes.Delhi Daredevils, IPL, 2009 The IPL arrived too late for McGrath, who only just made it on the T20 ride at all. While he had performed in the inaugural, light-hearted international bow of the format, in New Zealand in 2005, he quickly re-focused on extending his career in the more traditional arenas. When the IPL exploded onto the scene, McGrath had already been retired for a year, a three-time World Cup winner happily relaxing in front of the fire. But when Delhi Daredevils waved their auction paddle for the relatively modest price of US$350,000, he was headed back to India like a parent stumbling into a teenage rave. Initially it was a riot - he popped 14 wickets in 12 games of a successful opening campaign - but then it became, like, totes ridiculous. Aged 39, one of the worlds greatest fast bowlers suffered the humiliation of not being picked at all in the second season. It has been hard to be a part of the bench, and I was hoping for a game during the league stage, he wrote in his Hindustan Times column. Fitness was listed as a significant issue, but in reality the game had grown beyond him. Instead of dominating the contest, he was forced to watch younger mortals such as Dirk Nannes, Ashish Nehra, Pradeep Sangwan and Aavishkar Salvi fill his place. After a couple of low-key appearances in the Champions League Twenty20, he returned to Australia and slid back into a much more dignified retirement. Air Force 1 Clearance . The 18-year-old American had five birdies in her bogey-free round for a 17-under total of 196. Lee held the overnight lead but mixed three birdies with two bogeys for a 70. Air Force 1 Discount . The Vikings announced Thursday that Priefer will be one of seven holdovers from the previous staff, along with offensive line coach Jeff Davidson, wide receivers coach George Stewart and others. Norv Turner will mark his 30th year of coaching in the NFL as the offensive co-ordinator, as widely reported for weeks, and George Edwards will be the defensive co-ordinator. https://www.cheapairforce1outlet.com/ . Any real chance at payback wont come until the playoff. Still, Pittsburgh knows its taut 3-2 win over the Bruins on Wednesday night is a pretty good place to start laying the groundwork. "They are a very good defensive team," Penguins forward Brandon Sutter said. Air Force 1 Sale . Brett Kulak and Jackson Houck of the Vancouver Giants were each charged with assault causing bodily harm on Aug. 18, according to the B.C. court services. Air Force 1 Outlet . Reigning world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland opened with a 12-2 rout of Winnipegs Jennifer Jones in a battle of teams bound for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. The Oakland Raiders filed for three trademarks to the phrase Las Vegas Raiders this week, perhaps the next step in a move from Oakland to Sin City. The trademarks seek to give the team the exclusive right to use the name for sporting events and to sell the phrase on everything from helmets to swimsuits to earmuffs.The team did not seek to trademark a logo related to the prospective move.While the team will likely wind up with the rights to the trademarks, it will take some time. Six filings have sought to trademark the phrase before the Raiders did, and the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office reviews filings in the order in which they were received.Those who filed -- all six on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 when owner Mark Davis began his flirtation with moving to the city --- will likely then have to make the case that their filing is unrelated to the team.ddddddddddddOn Tuesday, outgoing U.S. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., said he would support a new domed football stadium that could bring the team to town. The project, which is backed by the Raiders, Las Vegas Sands Corporation and a real estate agency, would cost an estimated $2 billion, with money from a new visitors tax also proposed to finance the structure.After losing out on going to Los Angeles, the Raiders have a one-year lease to play this season at the O.co Coliseum.An NHL expansion team will begin play in Las Vegas beginning in the 2017-18 season. ' ' '
