Age no bar for Glenn McGrath

“He (Lawson) also said that the only reason we play is for the money. To me that means he doesn’t know anything about why we are playing the game,” said McGrath, a 13-year veteran. “I play Tests because I love the game. To me the team should be picked on performance. I don’t see myself as too old.”

McGrath has not played a test since January while he helped his wife, Jane, battle a recurrence of cancer. “I don’t remember feeling this fresh my whole career. Because I am 36 should I give the game away even though I am feeling better than I ever have?” McGrath said.

“Playing at 36 is just a natural progression for the way cricket is going. With technology and the way we train and prepare, who knows in another 10 or 15 years guys could be playing at 45, 46.”

McGrath said the news about his condition —and wife’s recovery from cancer —is all good. “The body is as good as it’s ever been, things are going well at home, Jane’s great,” he said. “When I step out in the middle, it’s just about cricket.

“If I had any doubts about how things were traveling at home I wouldn’t be here now —it’s as simple as that.”

McGrath missed two Ashes tests in 2005 in England with an ankle injury, and Australia lost both tests. That enabled England to win back the Ashes, 2-1 —its first victory in the series in 16 years. “Sitting on the sidelines knowing I can’t do anything to help the guys, that was the most frustrating thing I have done in cricket,” he said. “When I walk away from the game I don’t want to have any regrets —I feel I’ve still got a bit to achieve. I’m still hungry.”

The ace fast bowler is now gearing up hard to face England in the return series of the Ashes and has already made noises on how keen he is to get back at them.

The Australians haven’t forgotten the humiliation that they were put through after going down to Michael Vaughan’s England, last year.