Who is the best bowler, Hasan Ali or Glenn McGrath?

You want to compare two fast bowlers. First, we have Pakistan’s young sensation, Hasan Ali.

(Don’t remind me what happened next)

Second, we have Glenn McGrath.

(Pics of me holding a ball are too mainstream, let’s raise a bat for now)

Let’s start with some numbers shall we, because numbers don’t lie.

As of writing this answer, let me state a couple of things.

• Hasan Ali has only played 7 tests. Let’s ignore tests for now, and compare ODI numbers.
• ODI cricket has changed significantly since the time McGrath played to now in terms of more runs being scored these days. I will be ignoring Bowling Economy numbers as comparing these don’t make sense.
• I am ignoring the batting numbers (should have been obvious).

We have,

ODI Stats     Innings     Wickets     Average     SR
 
Glenn McGrath  248       381      22.02      34.0
Hasan Ali      38           73      22.39      25.6

Analyzing these numbers,

• The Average is comparable. This question is justified. If Hasan Ali can maintain this average over another 200 games of ODI cricket, he will have matched Glenn McGrath.
• Hasan Ali has a better strike rate for now too. Though he has roughly played 1/6-th of the games played by McGrath.
• 248 games is no joke as a fast bowler. Fast bowling takes a toll on the body, and very few fast bowlers have been as consistent as McGrath over 250 games. Let’s hope Hasan Ali has it in him to last that long. He needs a world class coaching team to keep him fit and effective for that long.
• Glenn McGrath’s ODI career lasted from 1993–2007, that’s 14 years long. He started when he was 23, and retired when he was 37. Yes, 37.
  Hasan Ali started in 2016, when he was 22. These days, there are more ODIs, it’s possible for Hasan Ali to reach 248 games in another 10 years, maybe ? He would be 32 by then. Looks possible, provided he manages to stay fit.
• Today there are more than just ODIs and Tests. There are 20–20s, league games, and more domestic cricket. That’s more games for a player at the cost of resting his body(and mind). This increases the possibilities for injuries too. Hasan Ali needs a good support team around him to manage him through all these tournaments.
• Now, what makes Glenn McGrath a legend is that he has been through 14 years of ODI cricket, and has 381 wickets to his name. There aren’t many fast bowlers who have achieved this.
• Cricket is a team game, and what you are, should account to something for the team. Glenn McGrath had a great team around him, and he has 3 ICC World Cups to his name. I agree this is out of an individual’s control, but it does account to making someone “Great”.

Let’s conclude.

If you look around, there have been a lot of fast bowlers in ODI’s who have had stats similar to Hasan Ali after 2 years of debuting. Most of these kids have been considered to be the next greatest and only a select few have made it to all time greats. Most of them have failed, be it injuries, be it consistency or be it other external factors.

To achieve what Glenn McGrath has, it takes a lot grit, determination, drive, passion and a whole lot more. You need a team around you. You need all the help and support you can get. And yes, you need a little bit of luck.

When Hasan Ali’s numbers look as half as good as Glenn McGrath’s let’s re-visit this conversation. I have come up with a reference below:

ODI Stats                     Innings     Wickets     Average     SR
 
Hasan Ali (theoretical 2021)   125       190       23        25

Till this happens, Hasan Ali remains a promising youngster who still has a lot to learn.