"Warne"ing Bells Toll

Logically if you did drugs as a sportsman – you would be a disgrace. Logically if you were banned from the game for a year – you would be an untouchable. Logically if you were caught exchanging smses with hookers and your ruined your private life – you would be hated. It is possibly a tribute to arguably the best bowler in the world ever that in spite of all indiscretions he remains one of the game’s best loved and respected players. But then again if you have the charm and the guile of Shane Warne, it’s hardly a surprise.

Logically if you made your debut against Indians in Sydney and had just a wicket to your name for 150 odd runs, you would be demoralised. But if you are Shane Warne your next 142 tests will fetch you 698 more scalps. If you were a bowler coming in after the likes of McGrath and Gillespie and Lee had done their spells, you would hardly have any wickets to take but if you are Shane Warne you end up as the world’s highest wicket taker.

Shane Warne. As an Indian cricket fan, I haven’t followed Aussie cricket too often. So I can have only read about some of his famous spells. Having watched Warne bowl in patches, this tribute to him will always be a little hollow. But for an Indian fan to write a tribute about Shane goes to say a lot about his lovability and greatness as a bowler. The fact that people all over the world will be disappointed about his retirement decision – at age 37 at that – speaks a lot about what Warne was to the game.

Very few bowlers possess the ability to bring crowds to the stadium just to seem them bowl – the chances of that bowler being a spinner even more remote. However Warne holds that ability easily. The thrills of watching him fool a batsman – not just through that one wicket taking delivery but the whole set of deliveries before that crucial one slips in. Apart from being the master bowler – he is also one of the biggest showmen of the game. Guile, talent and histrionics – the whole package.


The unbelievable look of shock and surprise on the face of a batsman when what he thought was a well left ball pitching way outside leg stump has actually spun wickedly and crashed into an unsuspecting off-stump while the batsman was shouldering arms expecting the ball to go down for 4 byes.
For the life of me I can never erase the image of a shocked MSK Prasad on that ill fated tour of Australia in 1999 (The 3-0 loss for India). For a minute MSK did not move from his spot – he couldn’t believe that it was legal or allowed for a ball to turn that much from behind his legs. He was convinced that the keeper was up to some mischief. There was mischief indeed but only in the eyes of Warne after he had delivered that ripper.

For me personally, it was Ashes 2005 that made me an unreserved fan of his. Australia lost but for Warne it was a personal triumph. Not just with the ball where he threatened to win near un-winnable matches on his own with very little backup but also with the bat where again he threatened to win near un-winnable matches with his bat in this case he had the company of the trusty Aussie tail. It’s not often that one supports Australia for any match but purely for that one man – you would want Australia to pull it off. They did not and in weird way it seems good as otherwise Warne would have retired then but he stayed on to fight back and earn the little urn back.

Shane Warne has been a supreme magician in the game. He will be remembered for his umpteen well thought out wickets. For an Indian, he will be remembered for being the easy meat he was for Sachin and VVS and Sidhu. The humility of Warne though shone through when he stood in line to take Sachin’s autograph after the Sharjah assault.

Before the start of the current series and even before the retirement announcement, I would have hated to see Aussie win 5-0. But if there is ever a sendoff that a guy of Warne’s calibre deserves – it is a thumping 5-0 win to see him off into retirement.