Rajat Subhra Chatterjee
0028
Can some one pass away like this! Without any warning? It has been unbelievable. Like his Magical ‘Ball of the Century’, Shane Keith Warne also vanished magically at 52 only !
Muralitharan may have topped the list with 800 Test wickets yet Shane Warne is a glorious second with 708 and his bowling was never marred with any controversy or confusion. Oh yes, confusion there were plenty in batsmen’s mind which forced them to commit the way Warne desired over two decades of International Cricket. But his Leg Spin, Googly, an art very difficult to accomplish, has been of highest order.
Excerpts from my Book –
‘TALES OF CRICKET
FROM THE EDGE OF BOUNDARY’
( Available @ Stall # 187 in the ongoing Book Fair )
Leg Spinners !
In cricket, there had been a change – that had taken place quietly and almost unnoticed some years back. And that was – one of the golden arts of cricket – spin bowling reappeared strongly and surely to stake its legitimate place in the game after a span of hostile fast bowling era that ruled Cricket for three decades. Cricket lovers welcomed with pleasure – the return of the art once was graced by legends of the game. Cricket is more of an art than it is science. And Leg Spin –Googly bowling has made the game of cricket more glorious.
In the long history of Test cricket, not many could be found who are rated as masters of Leg Spin Googly bowling. It is wondered, that the game of cricket had given us Larwood, Constantine, Gilchrist, Lillie, Marshal, Roberts or even spinners like Verity, Mailey, Lock, Laker, Ramadhin, Valentine, Mankad, Bedi, Prasanna, Underwood, but the same game of cricket has not produced many leg spinners like Grimmet, Gupte, Benaud, Chandrasekhar, Warne or Kadir – for us to be overjoyed. Leg spinners have fooled the batsmen with their very difficult yet lethal form of bowling and forced batsmen to be trapped in their own web. Leg spinners are very dear children of ‘Talent God’. The Smiling Assassin club would not be completed without the burly Australian named Shane Warne.
On his not too impressive Test debut in 1992 at Sydney against India, Warne’s figure stood at 1/ 150 bagging the only wicket of Ravi Shastri. However, in the first Test at Colombo, 1992, he took the last three Sri Lankan wickets without conceding a run in the second innings ( 5.1-3- 11 – 3 ) which enabled a stunning Australian win by 16 runs. In the Ashes in England in 1993, his first ball of the series has been described as the ‘Ball of the Century’. A delivery from Warne to the English batsman Mike Gatting, turned from well outside leg stump to clip the off bail. Gatting had nothing to do excepting keeping his eyes on the trail of the ball from pitching and taking off the off bail !
In the Boxing Day Ashes Test in 1994 at Warne’s home ground in Melbourne, he recorded his Test hat-trick, dismissing Phil DeFreitas, Darren Gough and Devon Malcolm. In 1997, a golden chapter was written for the Leg spinners as Warne was adjudged by Australian media as one of Australia’s three most ‘Influential’ cricketers with Donald Bradman and Dennis Lillee. In his second-last Test, he took his 700th Test wicket and that of Andrew Strauss. This was the first occasion that a bowler had taken 700 Test wickets. The wicket was described as a ‘classic Warne dismissal’ to which the crowd of 89,155 gave him a standing ovation. In 2007, Warne’s final Test was held at the same venue as was his first, 15 years earlier, the Sydney Cricket Ground where he took his 1000th international wicket. His final Test wicket was Andrew Flintoff.
Who is interested in these raw stats, when Shane Warne is discussed ? Lets focus on the other side of life ! Shane was an enigma of a cricketer who was boundless and carefree in nature yet hugely friendly and a guiding motivator. Shane has been a leg Spinner who was highly skilled and result oriented yet a robust and perhaps one of the most colourful cricketers that the game has seen. Whether he will be remembered as the best ever, time will tell. But cricket without Shane Warne is something like wine without cake.
Admittedly Warne got entangled in controversies many a time. For doping, he was banished from 2003 World Cup. At different time, he was linked with various women notwithstanding a broken marriage. He had a fairy-tale life style – very similar to Football God Diego Maradona in terms of bohemian style of living.
It seems, he always prayed like Maradona – ‘ Thy God. Let me be spoiled’.
Else, why Warne had to leave this beautiful place so soon ! Who will explain ?
