Writing in his autobiography Test of Will, McGrath said Hazlewood had a "lot of things in his favour" to prosper at the head of Australia's bowling lineup.

"He has a simple action, he's tall (196 centimetres), he can get the ball through well, and he swings the ball," he writes. "The reason I'm happy with what I see is there doesn't seem too much that can go wrong."

McGrath said this simple approach is the key to success as a paceman because "he won't have to undergo too much change or a complete revamp to unravel any problems."

National selector Mark Waugh tipped Hazlewood to overtake McGrath's record and McGrath said if that happened "I'll be the first to congratulate him."

But McGrath did note that longevity is "one of the hardest goals" to attain for a fast bowler and Hazlewood, as well as left arm quick Mitchell Starc, would both have to work very hard on strength and conditioning to stay at the top of their game for many years.

Hazlewood "appears to have a very good work ethic and a desire to succeed," according to McGrath, who said he was a "massive supporter" of the solid right arm paceman, and applauded his resolve in coming through a series of injuries determined to stay in the Test side.

"From what I can understand he's come through all of [the injuries] with an approach that nothing is going to stop him from getting to where he wants to be," he said. "And I applaud that."

On Starc, McGrath said he "definitely knows his one-day game inside out," but still needed to develop his red-ball game.

"I think Mitchell has to come to realise that Test cricket is a different beast [to one-day]," he said. "It's a fact you can't bowl the same lines in that format as you do with the white ball; you can't attack the stumps the same way, nor can you bowl yorkers all the time."

McGrath also delved into the debate about Shane Warne's criticism of Starc as "soft" in the first Test against India in Brisbane in December 2014. He said that being aggressive is not necessarily about being loud, but rather staying positive in the difficult moments.

"[Being aggressive] doesn't mean we go out in the middle and yell abuse, curse and carry on ... although some do. Instead, what they're referring to is body language: keeping your head up and soldiering on when things aren't going so well."

He said Starc should use the criticism as fuel to prove his doubters wrong.

"I think if you can ignore the headlines and the outcry that accompanies the fallout from that type of situation, a fast bowler can use it to his advantage," he said. "It can either fire you up to prove your critics wrong or you can let it have a negative impact on your game."

He thinks that Starc is at an age where his bones will "harden", resulting in less injuries. "He has an enormous, and exciting, future ahead of him."