Magician, Maverick And Entertainer - Shane Warne Was The Original 'Influencer'

The Ashes 1993, English summer. Mike Gatting was facing the blonde leggie, just arrived from down under. The Aussie spinner was just over a year old at the Test level and still not yet 24. Surely, he would be overawed by the occasion.

A sense of nostalgia

By the time the delivery was completed, it was the crowd, those who saw it on TV and Gatting himself who was in awe. The ball pitched outside leg stump, spun viciously, beat the outside edge and took out the off bail. Gatting looked in disbelief and could not comprehend what had just happened. The bowler found his name in immortality and it would only be the first ball in the ocean. That's how Shane Warne announced his arrival in international cricket.

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Fast forward to the 1999 World Cup semifinal vs South Africa. The Proteas had raced to 48/0 chasing 214 to win. Warne came on to bowl and bowled a similar ball to the Ball of the Century. Herschell Gibbs thought that the Aussies were appealing for caught behind when he suddenly realised he had been bowled. How? He had no clue. The ball pitched outside leg, he thought he had it covered, but it beat his outside edge and clipped the off bail. 2 balls, 2 dismissals, same bowler. Warne was a magician and proving to be the King of Spin.

On March 4, 2022, the cricketing world was shattered by the news of his 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.

Childhood connection severed

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 Warne retired in 2007, it was the end of an era, when he passed in 2022 it was like the dimming of a lamp.

Be it his duels with Sachin Tendulkar, his role as tormentor of Daryl Cullinan, or him making Alec Stewart dance to his tune, 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.

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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.

A warrior

But beyond the numbers, 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.

"Cricket is my life. I love my family but the game is before all else," is what he would say. Warne lived, ate, drank and drew cricket in his every breath. While his personal life fell in shambles, his marriage dismantled and his image took a hit in the eyes of the public, the aura of Warne remained intact. Love him or hate him, one could not ignore him.

Coming back stronger

In 2003, he 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 he 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.

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Champion in cricket and beyond

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, Warne was what his well-wishers wanted to be and his critics knew they could not become.

In the end, the man whose leg brakes on the pitch leaves us with heartbreak in our hearts. His innings in life is over and he may be turning the ball viciously in the happy hunting grounds. A champion till the end, Warne you will be missed.

Thank you for your service to the game. You really taught many to live their lives the way they want both on and off the field.

People up there must be eager to watch you create the magic with the bowl. We know you won't disappoint them.

Good bye Warnie!