McGrath said that all the friendships between opponents should be reserved for off the field activities with the on-field area being a competitive sphere. (File)
With the advent of the Indian Premier League (IPL) and other leagues like it, players from different nationalities share a team, trying to win a piece of silverware. With the teammates spending a good chunk of time with each other in their franchise teams, whenever they face off for their national teams nowadays, they lack the aggressive stance of their previous generations. That’s something that Australian great Glenn McGrath isn’t really a fan of.
With the Ashes well and truly in the bag with the Australians leading 3-0 in the 5-match series, McGrath said that he finds the on-field camaraderie between the two opposing sets of players a little off putting. He said that all the friendships between opponents should be reserved for off the field activities with the on-field area being a competitive sphere.
“I must say in respects to both side, when I see the batsman at the end of the over walking down the pitch with his arm around the bowler. The bowler and batsman having a laugh. That’s where the match referee should step in, fine them both and if that ever happens again, suspend it. I think that’s a disgrace,” McGrath said on the Stick To Cricket podcast.
“They should be suspended!” 😂
Have England and Australia shown each other too much respect? 👀 pic.twitter.com/AVwE2Ek9Xq
— Stick to Cricket (@StickToCricket) December 24, 2025
A few days ago, in his latest column for the BBC, McGrath, who had predicted that Australia will win the Ashes 5-0, said that England not winning a Test in Australia in their last 18 tries might be down to their players’ mentality.
“I do not believe England’s long barren run in Australia is down to the quality of their players. Joe Root and Ben Stokes, the cornerstones of this current team and two of the greatest to ever play for England, have never won a Test here. If this long winless streak is not down to ability, it must be down to mentality,” he had written.
England were thrashed by 8 wickets in just 2 days in the 1st Test at Perth before going down by 8 wickets once again in the pink ball Test at Brisbane. Their only chance to stay alive in the series was down to them winning or drawing the 3rd Test at Adelaide. They, however, lost by 82 runs and Australia retained the Ashes with 2 Tests at Melbourne and Sydney still in hand.