Hazlewood could break my record: McGrath

Test legend Glenn McGrath says Josh Hazlewood has the ability to surpass him and become the most prolific fast bowler in Test history, but only if he continues to work hard off the field in order to stay on the park.

McGrath ended his decorated international career with 563 scalps from 124 Tests, the fourth most in history and the most of any fast bowler.

Hazlewood reached 100 career wickets at the MCG today when he took a simple return catch off Wahab Riaz, becoming just the fourth Australian to reach the mark before his 26th birthday.

With time on his side, McGrath says the sky's the limit for the right-armer, but only if he stays disciplined and maintains his fitness.

"The challenge is there. If he can get there and do that, I'd be one of the happiest guys for him," McGrath told cricket.com.au of his record.

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"Records are there to be chased down and be beaten and that (is a) little carrot to keep guys going.

"To play 100-plus Tests and get 560-odd wickets like I took, if he can get there, then he'd have done pretty well.

"He's only a young fella ... but it's up to him how far he goes.

"If he keeps up a good work ethic off the field ... to keep strong, to keep fit. If he does that and stays very disciplined, who knows where he could get to?"

Hazlewood, who turns 26 on January 8, joined Graham McKenzie (23 years old), Shane Warne (24) and Craig McDermott (25) as the only other Australians to reach 100 wickets aged 25 or under. He is the 38th Australian to achieve a century of Test wickets.

The milestone comes in Hazlewood's 25th Test, well short of the Australian record of 17 shared by 19th century quick Charles Turner and legendary leg-spinner Clarrie Grimmett.

By way of comparison, McGrath - who Hazlewood has long been likened to due to their uncomplicated bowling actions - achieved the milestone in his 23rd Test at the age of 26.

In just a little more than two years since his Test debut, Hazlewood has become one of Australia's most reliable sources of wickets and has missed only one Test - the fifth match of the 2015 Ashes series - since his first cap, against India at the Gabba in December 2014.

He has been the third-most prolific bowler in the world in that time, his 100 wickets in 25 Tests trailing only Indian spin maestro Ravichandran Ashwin (141 in 23) and England paceman Stuart Broad (104 in 28).

The major low point of his career came during the 2015 Ashes campaign, where he admitted he struggled to handle the Dukes ball as England won the series 3-2 to regain the urn.

McGrath said Hazlewood would benefit from a stint in county cricket before the next Ashes tour in 2019, but concedes it's an unlikely prospect given the crowded international schedule.

But he says a strong performance in the one-day Champions Trophy in the UK next June, albeit in a white-ball tournament, would lift his confidence for the Ashes two years later. 

"I think it's pretty tough to do that," McGrath said of a county stint. "Back when I played I had a few opportunities to play county cricket and I think it was really good for me.

"Josh has had a taste of English cricket and unfortunately he didn't do as well as he would have liked. I thought he would have done really well in English conditions, but I think he changed a few things. He was running in wider and looking to swing the ball and coming around himself rather than over the top.

"I think he's now sorted that out ... so I think next time he goes to England, he'll really enjoy it.

"If he can go over there (for the Champions Trophy), bowl well and get his confidence up, that will kick-start him for the next Ashes."

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