Factbox on Australian bowler Glenn McGrath [ Images ] who is retiring from cricket on Saturday after the final of the 2007 World Cup in West Indies [ Images ].

Born: February 9, 1970, Dubbo

Right-arm fast-medium bowler

Teams: New South Wales, Australia [ Images ]

Debut: v New Zealand [ Images ], Perth, 1993

Played 124 Tests, 563 wickets at an average of 21.64, best bowling 8-24, economy rate 2.49, strike rate 51.95. Runs: 641 at an average of 7.36, highest score 61, one fifty.

Played 249 one-day internationals. 380 @ 22.00, 7-15, 3.87, 34.02.

The most prolific fast bowler in Test cricket history and the spearhead of Australia's bowling attack for over a decade.

Third on the all-time list of wicket-takers behind spinners Shane Warne [ Images ] and Muttiah Muralitharan [ Images ].

Not the quickest fast bowler of all time, but specialises in unerring accuracy around off stump and good bounce and has achieved virtually every honour in the game.

• Also read: McGrath's wicket ways reign

Took 8-38 in the second Test at Lord's on his first Ashes tour in England [ Images ] in 1997.

Was named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 1998 and was a member of the Australian team that won the 1999 World Cup.

Won the Allan Border [ Images ] Medal as Australia's best player for 2000 and took a Test hat-trick against West Indies in Perth later that year.

Won a second World Cup for Australia in 2003, taking career-best one-day figures 7-15 in a pool match against Namibia.

Became only the fourth bowler to capture 500 Test wickets when he dismissed Marcus Trescothick [ Images ] in the first Ashes Test at Lord's in 2005.

Was named man of the match after steering Australia to victory but stepped on a ball on the morning of the second test and missed the match. Australia went on to lose the Ashes series 2-1.

Took an eight-month break from international cricket in 2006 to care for his wife Jane after she was diagnosed with cancer for the third time.

Returned to one-day cricket in October, helping Australia win the ICC [ Images ] Champions Trophy [ Images ] for the first time a month later.

Returned to Test cricket for the first Ashes match in Brisbane [ Images ] in November 2006, taking 6-50 in the first innings, to register his 29th five-wicket haul in Tests.

Helped Australia regain the Ashes after they won the second and third Tests to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series.

Takes the final wicket to fall as England are whitewashed 5-0.

Went into the World Cup final on Saturday as the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 25 from 10 matches and an average of 13.04.