Ian Chappell said on air recently about Shane Warne: ‘Warnie makes the game interesting for his players, and that translates into exciting cricket for the fans. It’s just like when he bowls: there’s an air of expectancy with every ball.’
It is for that sense of expectancy with each ball that I used to wake up at 5 in the morning to watch the Australian home test matches- to see the Warne spin his wizardry. Importantly, he not only bowls every ball, he lives it – animatedly, which makes him a broadcaster's delight.
Wisden chose him as one of the 5 cricketers of the century alongside Donald Bradman, Gary Sobers, Jack Hobbs and Vivian Richards. All 4 have been knighted except for Shane Warne and he is the only bowler! It is remarkable because Warne became ‘Shane Warne- the champion leg spinner’ only from the summer of 93’ when he bowled the ball of the century leaving the victim Mike Gatting perplexed beyond explanation.
This was mainly because of his single handed contribution in revitalising the art of traditional leg spin and making it an attacking weapon than a defensive one. Although Anil Kumble – no less a man, was a key exponent too, he was the more unconventional one and not as pro-glamour as Warne. And for millions of fans, Warne made bowling leg –breaks attractive and made the game cerebral as he out-thought the batsmen. ‘Hollywood’ as Warne was called fondly by teammates, would rip the ball above the eye level of the batsman, catching his blind spot which causes an error in judgment of the flight and trajectory and before they realise what has happened the Aussies would be celebrating yet another of his wickets. He has done so much for the game of cricket just by showing up and bowling those gifted stack of deliveries in his arsenal- the classical leg-break, the wrong ‘un, the clicking slider, the top spinner.
Warne is a brand name in the game of cricket and his clash with leading batsmen like Brian Lara and Sachin Tendulkar were marquee battles within the games that their countries were playing. The Indian tour of Down Under in 99’ was a marketed on ESPN as Shane Warne v Sachin Tendulkar – what happens when an irresistible force meets an immovable object?
Warne was an irresistible force, a weapon that his captains deployed to take down the opposition. He has a very sharp acumen and could plan the dismissals of batsmen. He could bowl for one hour from the same end into the breeze to get the drift for his leg-breaks ;as the aussie quicks bowled into the wind. That requires tremendous amounts of skills and some execution. Warne has a finger spinner’s control over the cherry despite being a wrist bowler. Any captain would give a finger and an arm for such a player. It was such team work that gave the all conquering Australian side from 90s to late last decade, the bulwark and the intimidation that stream rolled opposition.
As tantalising as his leg-breaks were, he would also give in to the temptations that life threw on him. A person with childish enthusiasm and he is also the epitome of flawed genius. Warne has dipped his feet in very circumstantial waters but has the talent and the will to get out of the rut and whenever he made a comeback, he only found his goodwill multiply and his popularity soar.
His controversies have been far and many. The famous ones include spats with ex-Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga, the sexting episode with the nurse and threesomes with models, the diets on baked beans to the propensity to party and the resulting protruding beer belly, the nicotine addiction, the champion cut and the blonde highlights, the hair transplant, the diuretics, the one year ban, the chin music and banter talk, the hefty fine for having link with Indian bookmaker or getting flashed while drinking beer in the middle of the game. Warne being Warne, he managed to make even those public embarrassments iconic and defining of the era. He was the first cricketer to get in trouble for texting, the first to see his tweets turned into news stories.
Warne is a big match performer but not exactly a role model when it comes to the way he handles his personal life. No kid can do all the partying he does and turn up next day to rip the ball past the batsman like he can. The skill he is blessed with and those he has developed never have deserted Warne. Proof of that being that after a tumultuous year with his wife Simone, they separated in mid-2005.And in the subsequent Ashes ,Warne went on to claim 40 wickets and 250 runs ,in what is considered to be his career's best performance .Even after a decade and a half of tormenting English with his spin, he remained the most popular touring cricketer. Sure, he was banned from the 2003 World Cup , but he was the man-of-the-match in both the semi-final and the final of the 99’ edition. His career has been littered with such illustrious milestones.
When quizzed on his gameplan, Warne said ‘The first thing is to be patient, which is probably the hardest thing to do. Don't worry if blokes are whacking you out of the park because you still have the opportunity to get him out next ball, even if it's not the same ball.' Warne always gave himself a chance, backed himself and his players when he was captaining the Royals in the IPL. For all his shenanigans, Warne gave innumerable moments of magic on a cricket ground and several storylines for newspapers off it . As he has played his last competitive game vs Mumbai last week, we are now have to make do with watching Warne bowling his spells on special sports programmes or on our YouTube favourites link. Anyway the day had to come.
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