'I want the new ball' - McGrath

"I love taking the new ball, obviously that's the way I would prefer to go. But I'll sit down and I'll have a think about the game and which is best suited to the team as well as talk to Buck [John Buchanan] and Ricky [Ponting] and the other guys."

McGrath said it was sad to be embarking on his last tour with his Australian team-mates after a 14-year international career. "But the other side of it is come the end of this tour I get to spend more time at home and get on with the rest of my life," he said. "I am really looking forward to that."