Sanath Jayasuriya, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Mark Greatbatch, Adam Gilchrist: all these men have shown the ability to decide a one-day international in the first 15 overs, by taking advantage of the fielding restrictions to lamp the ball to all corners of the ground. But could it be that the age of the pinch-hitter is drawing to a close? If there's any striking to be done when Australia are in the field, then Glenn McGrath and Jason Gillespie are only the men doing it, regardless of the batsmen at the other end. The pinch-hitter is dead, long live the pinch-pitcher.

In the last 21 days, McGrath and Gillespie have bowled some of the most devastating new-ball spells in one-day international history. Time and again, their opponents have been struggling to breathe before their innings has had a chance to develop. That 15-over mark used to mean mercy for the fielding side. These days it's the cue for Ricky Ponting to rotate his bowlers, and the opposition have a chance to gasp some air.

It often takes a defeat to sharpen the focus of a great team, and since losing to Pakistan in June, Australia's margins of victory - they've won six in a row, excluding a no-result against Pakistan - have been jaw-dropping: 224 runs; 8 wickets (with 33 overs to spare); 9 wickets (31.5 overs), 5 wickets (0.5 overs); 164 runs; 9 wickets (29.2 overs). You would expect Australia to batter Kenya and Bangladesh, but their treatment of a Pakistan side that only a few weeks earlier were tipping themselves for the World Cup has been humiliating and indecent.

Ironically, the only tight contest was against the Kenyans - victory with five wickets and five balls to spare in Nairobi. It can be no coincidence that was the only match of the seven that McGrath and Gillespie missed. Maybe a sign of great players and great teams is having the humility to learn from others. In that Pakistan series in June, McGrath and Gillespie managed only two wickets in three matches, while Shoaib Akhtar blistered seven from two. Since then, they've been derailing teams with a rapidity that even the Rawalpindi Express would approve of.

The statistics make grim reading for those who preach that one-day cricket is a batsman's game. In those six games, nine wickets have fallen inside the first three overs, more than half the number (17) Australia have lost throughout all six games. Most teams might be aggrieved if an umpire gave their opponents a seven-ball over, as Dave Orchard did against New Zealand last Sunday. Not Australia: McGrath used the extra ball to gobble up Lou Vincent for a golden duck.

In those six matches, McGrath and Gillespie have taken 26 wickets for 207 runs in 80 overs in their opening spells. If you prefer, that's an average score of 34 for 4 from 13 overs. Of those 26 wickets, 10 have gone without the dignity of a run to their name, and a further 11 without reaching double figures. Top-order batsmen are being humbled, treated like rabbits.

Break the figures down and they are even more startling. If Gillespie's (39-8-118-12) are outstanding, then what can you say about McGrath's? His analysis is 41-15-89-14. Perhaps even more staggering than an average of 6.36, a strike-rate of 17.57 and an economy rate of 2.17 is that McGrath has bowled 15 maidens in 41 overs. A maiden every 2.73 overs, at a time when the ball traditionally disappears everywhere. To put that into context, Australia's opponents have managed a maiden every 28 overs in the same period.

Such sustained dominance is chillingly unprecedented. Just in time for the Ashes and the World Cup, it seems, the Aussies are raising the bar even higher.

Click here for full figures

© Wisden CricInfo Ltd