In hindsight, after the Delhi Daredevils were blown away by the willow of Gilchrest, Virender Sehwag, the captain of Delhi Daredevils and the team management would be contemplating whether they erred in not playing McGrath in this crucial match. After all, McGrath is one bowler who has played with Gilly and would indeed have had one or few tricks up his sleeves which Nannes was not having. But it is too late. Now McGrath has decided that he would not return to the
IPL next year though he has been contracted for three years. The decision may have been precipitated by the fact that he was not given a single opportunity to play in a match in the IPL in the second season.
He was denied a chance to even prove his fitness and play for the Delhi Daredevils. The impeccable line that McGrath has, probing the outside of the off-stump and bowling it with regular consistency would have been the perfect foil to put a break on Gillie's onslaught, but all would now become a part of folklore, as the damage has been done. It has been done to the team as also to the esteem of McGrath as he has been amongst the top bowlers in the world, and never in his cricketing history would he have added to the bench strength as he ahs been made to do in the second season of the IPL by the team management of Delhi Daredevils.
The reason brandied for keeping him out of the team was that there were issues with his fitness levels so he was not provided the opportunity to ply. The moot point, however is if he was not provided the opportunity, how could his level of fitness been tested. May be, in few matches Nannes should have been given rest and McGrath allowed to play so that it could also have been beneficial to Nannes performance as well. But it was not to be. So, one of the greatest fast bowlers who could have regaled the audience with his bowling and on-field antics in South Africa, may not return to the grounds once again. It indeed is a sorry state of affairs.
