Shane Warne: A Legend Second To None

On March 4, 2022, the cricketing world was shattered by the news of Shane Warne's passing. At just 52, Warne is no more. The maverick and entertainer in life ultimately proved to be a mere mortal as the cruel hand of fate intervened in a life that always was lived to the fullest.??

For those of us who grew up watching him in the 1990s and most of the first decade of the 21st century, yet another thread of our childhood had faded away. When Shane Warne retired in 2007, it was the end of an era, when he passed in 2022 it was like the dimming of a lamp. September 13 is?his 1st birth anniversary since?his death. The icon would?have turned?53.??

Be it his duels with Sachin Tendulkar, his role as tormentor of Daryl Cullinan, or him making Alec Stewart dance to his tune, Shane Warne was always in the thick of the action. For 15 years, the man was a wicket-taking machine for Australia and the ultimate match-winner. Along with Glenn McGrath, the master of accuracy, Warne formed a deadly combo that saw them take a combined haul of close to 2000 wickets in international cricket, which is just amazing.?

Shane Warne's own figures are proof of his greatness. Not that there was any doubt but the statistics only add fuel to the fire. 1001 international wickets in 339 games from 1992 to 2007. He is one of 2 bowlers with over 1000 wickets across formats and 2nd on the overall list. He is also the first bowler to breach the 600 and 700 wicket marks in Tests. Warne became the highest wicket-taker in Tests in 2004 and remained at the top spot till 2007. He is currently in 2nd position.??

But beyond the numbers, Shane Warne was the perfect warrior, who could plot the batter's demise with precision. While he never led Australia, his cricketing brain was that of a leader and he was never averse to offering the skipper advice in tough situations. A case in point of his captaining abilities came when he led RR to the inaugural IPL title in 2008, over a year after he had retired from international cricket. Just goes to show you can take Warne out of cricket, but never cricket out of Warne.??

In 2003, Shane Warne failed a drugs test and was dropped from the World Cup and banned for one year. When he came back, he emerged as an even better bowler and was more lethal. No matter where he bowled and against whom, Warne 2.0 was more dangerous than the earlier version. Records came his way and he was a man on a mission to achieve greatness. He was great while he played, by the time he stopped he was a legend.??

Now Shane Warne is in a better place, perhaps. The man who bowled Australia to victory in the 1999 World Cup final is keeping company with the likes of Don Bradman and Victor Richardson along with Rodney Marsh. Incidentally, his last act on social media was tweeting a condolence message of Marsh passing away. Little did he know that they would soon be reunited. Or did he? Warne the magician always has that one last trick up his sleeve.??

While at the hands of fate he is a mere mortal, in cricket and in life he was larger than life itself. A champion and entertainer, a superstar to the core, Shane Warne was what his well-wishers wanted to be and his critics knew they could not become.??