Vernon Philander relishes 'new McGrath' tag
27/04/2012
South African bowler Vernon Philander has said he hopes to live up to the tag of being the 'new Glenn McGrath' against England this summer.
Philander told BBC Sport: "He's a good man to be named after", adding: "I base my game on McGrath and Shaun Pollock - that's where the control, the line and length comes from."
The seamer has 51 Test wickets already at an average of just 14.15 and was the second quickest to reach this milestone in terms of Tests played.
And he said his country is keen to become the number one ranked Test side this summer, remarking: "What better way of going to number one than beating England in England?"
Cricket lovers booking hospitality packages for the Lord's Test between the two countries may hope Philander does not emulate McGrath's outstanding bowling record at the ground.
This includes a career best 8-38 in 1997 and a spell of 5-2 as he reduced England to 21-5 on the opening day of the 2005 Ashes series.
By Keith Prowse