Published: Jun 14, 2013, 12:16 PM (IST)
Edited: Jun 14, 2013, 12:16 PM (IST)
Glenn Mcgrath is the Director of MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai © Getty Images
Sydney: Jun 14, 2013
After taking over as director of MRF Pace Foundation in Chennai, Glenn McGrath is set to train a group of young Australian bowlers as part of Cricket Australia’s (CA) AIS scholarship program, which will help them to learn more about the subcontinent conditions.
The primary purpose of the program is to avoid another repeat of the 4-0 drubbing that Australia received in the recent test series in India. Even former fast bowler Craig McDermott will be assisting McGrath during the two-week training.
”India is so different to Australia in nearly every way. The climate, the conditions, the sheer amount of people there, the food, and then the playing conditions as well. It’s going to be high 30s, early 40s every day. It’ll be pretty warm,” McGrath was quoted as saying by Sydney Morning Herald.
As part of the scholarship program, Peter Handscomb, Kurtis Patterson, Joel Paris, Gurinder Sandhu, Josh Hazlewood and Matt Fotia will be trained by McGrath.
The Australian pace legend himself trained under Dennis Lillee at the MRF Pace Foundation in 1992.
”Hopefully when and if they do move up to play for Australia, they’ve had a little bit of experience in India and it’s not such a shock culturally and the transition is a bit smoother,” he said.
For Sandhu, it as opportunity to move up to a different league. Sandhu featured for New South Wales in the RYOBI Cup and the Buppa Sheffield Shield. ”I’m treating it as a massive learning opportunity,” he said.
