On Friday we were mourning the passing of Rod Marsh. Now Shane Warne,only 52,has joined him. He died of a suspected heart attack in Koh Samui in Thailand.
One can write volumes on him and yet leave yawning gaps.Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack2000 ranked Warne as the No.4 Cricketer of the Century behind Don Bradman,Garry Sobers and Jack Hobbs.
Australia’s Shane Warne is carried on the shoulders of teammates Andrew Symonds and Matthew Hayden in 2006 after his final Test match at the MCG.AAP
A many splendored character,he made headlines in many fields. As an outstanding leg spinner he was,to use a cliché,poetry in motion. There was an air of expectancy as he removed the cap,handed it to the umpire and twirled the ball. What will he bowl;a leggie,a googly,a flipper or an arm ball?
An extrovert,he was one of the most controversial figures in the game’s history – making headlines on and off the field. He was involved in several scandals. He was also questioned over allegations of bribery and a ‘drug’ scandal for which he received a 12-month ban starting in February 2003.
Shane Warne was born east of Melbourne in September 1963 and originally had aspirations to play Aussie rules.Shane documentary
Born in Ferntree Gully,east of Melbourne,on 13 September 1969,he wanted to be an Australian Rules footballer but was overlooked. This has been cricket’s biggest gain. As a 22-year-old he enjoyed food and beer. He weighed 97 kilograms when he made his Test debut against India at the SCG in January 1992.
This was the first time I had seen him bowl and was not impressed. It was a debut to forget as he took only one wicket conceding 150 runs as India piled on 483 runs – Ravi Shastri hitting 206 and the teenager,Sachin Tendulkar,148.
The podgy leg-spinner went without a wicket in the next Test at Adelaide and was dropped for the final Test in Perth. Who would have thought then that within a decade this Test discard would become a superstar with his on-field brilliance and off-field dramas?
When I interviewed the Sydney Test double centurion Shastri a decade later as to what he had thought of the debutant in 1992,he told me that even then he had thought highly of his leg breaks.
After the forgettable start,Warne was invited by Rod Marsh to return to the Australian Cricket Academy and was coached by former Test leg-spinner Terry Jenner. The latter also advised him on dietary and beer restrictions.
The Great Southern Stand at the MCG will be renamed the S.K. Warne stand in honour of Shane Warne after his sudden passing.
Soon Warne was on his way to greatness:starting in the Colombo Test against Sri Lanka in August 1992. Set a mere 181 runs to win,Sri Lanka was marching towards victory at 2 for 127. To Warne’s surprise,skipper Allan Border threw the ball at him. Warne responded to the trust shown in him by taking vital wickets. In one magical spell he took three wickets without conceding a run. Incredibly,Australia won by 16 runs.
His confidence restored,he showed his wizardry in the Melbourne Test against the West Indies in December 1992. He captured 7 for 52 in the second innings and Australia triumphed by 139 runs. To defeat the Windies in the early 1990s was a huge achievement and heralded the arrival of Warne as a world-class spinner.
He also triggered the art of spin bowling in one-day internationals. He remained very grateful to Border for the faith shown in him in Colombo.
Then came the tour to England in 1993 and ‘that ball from hell’ in the Old Trafford Test in Manchester. It was Warne’s first ball in Test cricket on English soil. It was bowled to Mike Gatting,a master of playing spin.
Warne flicked the ball out of the back of his hand. It set off on the line of Gatting’s pads and dipped in the air further towards leg side until it was about 45 cm (18 inches) adrift the stumps. Then the ball bounced and fizzed across Gatting’s body to clip the off-bail.
Gatting remained rooted at the crease for several seconds in disbelief and returned to the pavilion in a trance. Warne took nine wickets in this Test and 34 wickets for the series. The Warnie legend continued to grow.
His most satisfying moment at Test level was dismissing Pakistan’s batsman Salim Malik for a duck in the Brisbane Test of November 1995.
As he explained inShaneWarne:My Autobiography,“Motivation is something I never lack… Only a year had passed since Salim Malik attempted to bribe Tim May and myself to bowl wide of off-stump in a Test match[to force a draw].
“Worse still,the judge in Pakistan leading the first investigation had decided that Malik was not guilty,effectively branding us liars. So I desperately wanted to beat Pakistan to set the record straight.”
Sure enough,Australia beat Pakistan and Warne finished with 11 for 77.
Warne became the seventh Australian,fifth bowler and the first spinner to play 100 Tests. This was against South Africa in Cape Town in March 2002. What a memorable Test it turned out to be.
Warne and Simone Callahan married in 1995.Shane documentary
Sixteen of his family members and friends including his wife Simone (divorced in 2005),parents Keith and Brigitte (of German origin) and his mates from Australia and Hampshire accompanied him. He took 2 for 70 and 6 for 161 and hit a hurricane 63 runs off only 65 balls – smacking 10 fours and a six.
After the Test he said,“There are few fairy tales;this is as close as it gets … To win the Test,the series and the Championship. It has been a fantastic Test match and one I’ll always remember.
“Nothing lasts forever so that emphasises the point that you have to enjoy yourself because you never know when it is all over.”
How prophetic! Who would have imagined that a fit and well 52-year-old would pass away a day after he wrote a tribute for his mate Rod Marsh:“Sad to hear the news that Rod Marsh has passed. He was a legend of our great game and an inspiration to so many young boys and girls. Rod cared deeply about cricket and gave so much – especially to Australia and England players. Sending lots and lots of love to Ros and the family. RIP mate.”
He joined Marsh the next day.
Warne represented Australia in 145 Tests from 1991 to 2006,scoring 3154 runs,(highest score 99) and took 708 wickets (best 8 for 71) and 125 catches. Only Muttiah Muralitharan of Sri Lanka has taken more wickets in Test history:800 in 133 Tests.
Warne considered Tendulkar the best batsman he bowled to. Among bowlers he had three favourites:Merv Hughes and Glenn McGrath of Australia,and Curtly Ambrose of the West Indies.
As a cricketing legend I would place Shane Warne alongside W.G. Grace,Jack Hobbs,Ranji,Don Bradman,Wally Hammond,Keith Miller,Frank Worrell,Garry Sobers,Dennis Lillee,Imran Khan and Sachin Tendulkar.
Warne was married to Simone from 1995 to 2005 before they divorced. He dated English actress Elizabeth Hurley and got engaged to her in 2011,but the engagement was called off two years later.
He is survived by daughter Brooke,aged 24,son Jackson,22,and daughter Summer,20.