McGrath looks for happy ending

Seamer Glenn McGrath's powers have waned little in recent times © Getty Images

Glenn McGrath will warm-up for his final international match on Saturday happy he has once again confounded expectations to finish as one of the leading bowlers in the World Cup.

Many critics believed the 37-year-old seamer had chosen to carry on too long and his advancing age and diminishing pace would make him ripe for slogging during the early powerplays during this tournament.

But not for the first time in his illustrious career, McGrath has responded superbly and has claimed 25 wickets already in the tournament - breaking the previous record for one World Cup of 23 set by Sri Lanka's Chaminda Vaas in South Africa four years ago.

It has been a typical response from one of the all-time great seamers in cricket history, who will finally end his career following Saturday's World Cup final against Sri Lanka at the Kensington Oval.

"I probably would have finished my career before this if it hadn't been a World Cup, but the fact it's such an important tournament and so big as a player to be involved in it made me want to finish here," said McGrath.

"I've got a lot of memories about Barbados as well. This is where I took my first five-for in international cricket and to me the perfect way to finish would be to take another five-for and to win."

McGrath claims the wicket of Kumar Sangakkara of Sri Lanka during the Super Eight section of the World Cup

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Nothing underlined McGrath's skill better than in Wednesday's semi-final against South Africa in St Lucia when Jacques Kallis, their best batsman, came out to the crease looking to stamp his authority on Australia's veteran.

As McGrath ran in for another delivery, Kallis advanced down the pitch to give himself room but was deceived by an off-stump yorker which continued onto the stumps and helped towards dismissing South Africa for a lowly 149.

"You rely on experience and I feel I can see if a batsman is coming at me," he explained. "I think I can change at the last second if I'm prepared for it.

"I've been really happy with the way it's coming out, I've been relaxed and I've been going into games with good plans and executing them reasonably well.

"Sometimes I've come on first change and they've been a couple of wickets down and I've been lucky enough to pick up a wicket six times in my first over and that always help you to settle and get into the game as well.

"It's been one of those tournaments so far where everything has gone right. We've got one game to go and if they want to come at me, that's fine - I feel I can adjust."

That type of experience and know-how has helped McGrath claim three man of the match awards already during the tournament and few would bet against him claiming another in Saturday's final especially after bowling well against the same opposition earlier in the tournament.

But as he prepares to put on the green and gold uniform of Australia for the last time, McGrath insists there is no emotion or nerves building up in him prior to his final ever match at this level.

"The way things are going at the moment, this just feels like business as usual, another day at the office," he claimed. The fact that it is going to be my last game, I'm not sure when or if that will hit me.

McGrath will play his third World Cup final for Australia on Saturday © Getty Images

"It might hit me when Australia play again or maybe after the game, but at the moment I feel the same as I have before every other game I've played.

"I'm looking forward to retirement, there's no doubt about that but I still love playing. I've probably felt more relaxed than I ever have on this tour and enjoyed it and maybe that's the reason I've been playing well."

He has already played in three World Cup finals and played a leading role in establishing Australia's dominance in world cricket for the last decade.

But he has one final target in mind before he finishes - to win Saturday's final and become part of the first side to win three successive World Cups.

"As an individual and a team we've won everywhere so there's been a lot of highs and it's hard to single out one moment," he conceded. "I think the only thing left to achieve is winning three World Cups in a row.

"I'm happy to walk away from the game. I feel it's in a good state and there are a lot of good young fast bowlers coming through and I'm happy with what I've achieved."

He added: "My approach has always been quite simple. The less complicated you make things the less things can go wrong.

"I've always thought if you can bowl 99 balls out of a hundred to hit the deck and hit the top of off-stump then you'll take wickets. When I've given that advice I'm sure people have walked away disappointed, but it's worked well for me."