South African Captain, Graeme Smith, has hailed teammate and swing sensation, Vernon Philander, as the next Glenn McGrath.
Philander, is on the verge of passing a cricketing milestone, that has not been achieved for the past 116 years.
Smith, talking exclusively to Stuff.co.nz, explained why he compared Philander to Australian legend McGrath, and said: “In my career, the only person who’s sort of resembled that was maybe Glenn McGrath. He was always in that area of uncertainty, and there was always something happening with the ball. He asks a lot of questions. If it’s swinging a bit both ways, then Vern’s always going to be right in there.”
Philander, who took 10 wickets against New Zealand in the second test match, including his career best, 6-44, has claimed 45 test wickets in just six test matches, at an outstanding average of 13.60.
If Philander were to take another five wickets against New Zealand in their third test at Wellington, which starts on Friday the 23rd of March, he will become the second fastest bowler to take 50 wickets in test matches, trailing only behind Australian Charlie Turner, who accomplished this amazing landmark in just six tests.
Philander has also replaced teammate and bowling partner, Dale Steyn, as the number one ranked bowler in the world.
Captain Graeme Smith, who was extremely proud of philander, said: “He obviously gets the ball to talk. There’s always something happening. He’s always in that area.”
Smith also believed that Philander would be able to continue holding on to and dominating the top spot in the rankings, if he kept bowling at the level he currently is.
Philander, made his debut in November 2011, when South Africa bowled Australia out for just 47 runs in the second innings of the first test. With Philander demolishing the Australian batting lineup with his eight wickets in the entire match, he started to turn heads, and splashed on to the cricketing scene right away.
In the six test matches that Philander has represented South Africa in, he has been named Man of the Match three times, which has convinced the South African selection committee that he has a bright future ahead of him with the team.