McGrath made his debut in 1995 and was capped in 1999. He then declared himself delighted with the new situation at Yorkshire and hoped to stay for as long as possible. After a slow start to the season, perhaps due to the off season situation, McGrath hit 135 not out in the opening
Roses match of 2007, a
one-dayer played at
Old Trafford, and consecutive centuries against
Durham (
Friends Provident Trophy) and
Kent (
County Championship). His excellent form continued as he reached a personal milestone in the rain-affected Championship match with
Warwickshire at
Edgbaston, scoring 188 not out on 16 July 2007. He was appointed as captain for the 2009 season, but stepped down from leading the side in late 2009, as he felt the pressures of the job were affecting his form. Oddly, that season he increased his career best tally to 211, again scored against Warwickshire at Edgbaston. McGrath had a more successful season in 2010 scoring 1,219 first-class runs and, in doing so, passed the thousand runs mark for the third time. He also scored important runs in both the 40 and 20-over competitions. However, knee injuries and sciatica occurred in the next two seasons, which restricted his effectiveness. McGrath retired from professional cricket following the conclusion of the 2012 season. After retirement he worked as a coaching consultant for Yorkshire, and in February 2016 was appointed assistant head coach at
Essex, assisting his former Yorkshire colleague
Chris Silverwood == Coaching career ==