Leg-spin maestro Shane Warne, who passed away aged 52 on Friday, was one of the true greats of the game. In an international career spanning 15 years, Warne revived the art of leg spin.
After a forgettable debut against India at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1992, Warne made his first major contribution at the international level in the opening Test against Sri Lanka later that year. Australia looked dead and buried after conceding a huge first innings lead of 291 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo. However, Allan Border's men went on to script a stunning turnaround, with all-rounder Greg Matthews leading the way. Warne did his bit as he cleaned up the Lankan tail with a spell of 3/11 as the hosts were bundled out for 164 while chasing a target of 181.
Border was quick to realise the prodigious talent of Warne, a ward of former Aussie leg-spinner Terry Jenner. Then came the 'ball of the century', which bamboozled Mike Gatting in the opening Ashes Test of 1993. Warne's first-ever ball in a Test match on English soil would have a huge effect on the psyche of the home side's batters. Invariably the English came second best to Warne and the Aussies.
Even in 2005 when England regained the Ashes after a long wait of 18 years, Warne was the best bowler on either side finishing with 40 wickets from five Tests. Border's successors Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting were all beneficiaries of Warne's genius.
Before bowing out from Test cricket after the 5-0 thrashing of England in the Ashes series of 2007, Warne along with Indian leggie Anil Kumble and Sri Lankan off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan formed a terrific trio. No wonder Murali (800), Warne (708) and Kumble (619) finished their playing days as the top-three wicket-takers in Test cricket. In fact, Murali and Warne continue to lead the charts even now.
Warne struggled to get going for the major part in the subcontinent. The Indian batters led by Sachin Tendulkar got the better of him in the 1998 series, while in 2001 the breathtaking strokeplay of V V S Laxman during his epic 281 at Kolkata dashed Australia's hopes of winning a series in India for the first time since 1969. But Warne was part of the Australian team which conquered the Final Frontier three years later and with 14 wickets from three Tests he had played his part.
Warne just relished the big stage and the knockout phase of the ODI World Cups brought the best out of him in the shorter version of the game. He produced match-winning spells against the West Indies and South Africa in the 1996 and 1999 semifinals. Warne was also the man-of-the-match in the final as Australia thrashed Pakistan to regain the World Cup after a 12-year gap in the 1999 edition. Four years later in South Africa, Warne was sent home ahead of Australia's title defence after testing positive for banned diuretics.
In fact he was no stranger to controversies. In 1998, the Australian Cricket Board fined Warne and teammate Mark Waugh for passing on information to a bookie during Australia's tour of Sri Lanka in 1994. Warne was never a great fan of the concept of coaches in international cricket and openly stated that John Buchanan did not have much to do with the success of the great Australian sides under Steve Waugh and Ponting.
Warne's colouful personality and outspoken views meant he never got an opportunity to lead Australia at the Test level though he did lead his homeland in the ODIs. Warne was an aggressive captain and he enjoyed great success with English county side Hampshire and Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Warne instilled self-belief among a group of relatively inexperienced Royals players to lead them to glory in the inaugural IPL in 2008.
Warne loved to challenge the batters and enjoyed duels. Nothing gave him more joy than working out a batter. He was an absolute magician and the magical moments will stay on forever. RIP, legend.
