McGrath's pick for world's top quick

Glenn McGrath collected more Test wickets than any other fast bowler during his decorated career so when the legendary quick picks his top paceman in the world today, people tend to listen.

McGrath is in India in his role with the MRF Pace Foundation, overseeing that country's next generation of talented fast bowlers, but it was a product from his home country he nominated as the planet's number one quick at present – left-armer Mitchell Starc.  

Starc beats out a hot field of fast bowlers, including teammate Josh Hazlewood and ranging in age from 22-year-old South Africa firebrand Kagiso Rabada to 34-year-old English swing king James Anderson.

"(Starc's) ability to bowl attacking lengths with the new ball and reverse the older ball at over 150kph makes him a difficult proposition for batsmen," McGrath said at a function to mark a 25-year relationship between the MRF Pace Foundation and Cricket Australia.

"Australia is lucky to be blessed with a formidable line-up of pacemen including Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and James Pattinson."

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Starc missed Australia's last two Tests against India earlier this year with a stress fracture in his right foot, but the 27-year-old has taken on the role of spearhead impressively since the retirement of Mitchell Johnson in November 2015, highlighted by a dominant tour of Sri Lanka last year, in which he took 24 wickets in just three Tests – the most ever by an Australian paceman in a three-Test series.

Ironically, the record previously belonged to another legendary Aussie quick, Dennis Lillee, a former Director of the MRF Pace Foundation.

Meanwhile, McGrath was a young quick in the first batch of MRF Pace Foundation speedsters back in 1992, and the 47-year-old said he was impressed by the current group of Indian youngsters.

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"The Indian attack has very good bowlers now and the emergence of names like Basil Thampi and a few others is only going to help the team in the long run," he said.

"(Thampi) has come on very well. His performances in the IPL this year won him the emerging player award and he has learnt a lot at the academy."