Richard Michael
DeanoHarmoFarewell Shane
December 22nd 2006 00:18
Category: No Category
And so, with that, a legend is gone. Well not just yet, but in a few weeks we will have seen the last of Shane Warne on a cricket field. Save for the odd charity match played in his honour, in Glenn McGrath's honour, in Adam Gilchrist's honour, and basically a never ending procession of charity matches that will inevitably follow the retirements of this Australian side. Oh, and also not counting the two more seasons he might play with Hampshire. And we'll probably see him in the middle of the field doing the pitch report in Tony Greig's wide brimmed hat soon. But apart from all that, it's the end.
In all the obituaries written over the past couple of days, most people have focussed on the two main aspects of Warne's life. Namely, spin bowling and picking up. To be honest, I think it will be the little things that I'll miss the most. Here's a short list of just a few of these little Warne subtleties:
1) Appealing - There is nothing like an elongated Shane Warne lbw appeal. In fact, I'd say there is no better appealer in the world than Shane Warne (The Bali Nine are struggling badly in this category). As Warne displayed in his most recent bout with Rudi Koertzen, he can make it look as though the umpire had just told him that his whole family had been killed in a car accident every time he said "not out".
2) Sledging - Warne is the undisputed master in this category. Well at least by his fellow players he is. I am sometimes left unconvinced about the level of wit used by Our Shane. In the last Test, I heard him tell Ian Bell "If you keep playing that shot, you'll get out." It baffles me how that constitutes psychological warfare, but maybe I'm missing the point.
3) Eating - There is no greater connoisseur of fine foods in Australia than one Shane Warne. From baked beans on toast to Hawaiian pizza, there is no food eating challenge to big for Warnie. A great memory of mine is of Warne being pillored in the media after asking for baked beans to be shipped over for an overseas tour. Another anecdote that springs to mind is more recent. While being interviewed by Mark Taylor as Australia was making its run chase on the last day in the Adelaide Test this year, Taylor asked Warne if he thought he wanted to bat later in the day. Warne replied, "No way! I'm just here with a toasted sandwich and a coke!"
4) The Walk Up - I would call it a run up, but Warne has never once run when going in to bowl, so why lie? The most intriuging part of the walk up, though, is his habit of starting with the ball in his right hand, then left, and then back into the right before bowling. What actually happens in this process is anyone's guess. Does he begin imparting spin on the ball at this moment, thus giving him a head start? Or are we getting a unique insight into Warne's thinking process? "I'll bowl with my right hand....no, I'll bowl with my left hand! That'll fool them! Oh, f**k it, right hand it is."
5) Bowling - Ok, I lied. While I will miss Warnie's mannuerisms, I'll miss his bowling the most. Come back Shane!
In all the obituaries written over the past couple of days, most people have focussed on the two main aspects of Warne's life. Namely, spin bowling and picking up. To be honest, I think it will be the little things that I'll miss the most. Here's a short list of just a few of these little Warne subtleties:
1) Appealing - There is nothing like an elongated Shane Warne lbw appeal. In fact, I'd say there is no better appealer in the world than Shane Warne (The Bali Nine are struggling badly in this category). As Warne displayed in his most recent bout with Rudi Koertzen, he can make it look as though the umpire had just told him that his whole family had been killed in a car accident every time he said "not out".
2) Sledging - Warne is the undisputed master in this category. Well at least by his fellow players he is. I am sometimes left unconvinced about the level of wit used by Our Shane. In the last Test, I heard him tell Ian Bell "If you keep playing that shot, you'll get out." It baffles me how that constitutes psychological warfare, but maybe I'm missing the point.
3) Eating - There is no greater connoisseur of fine foods in Australia than one Shane Warne. From baked beans on toast to Hawaiian pizza, there is no food eating challenge to big for Warnie. A great memory of mine is of Warne being pillored in the media after asking for baked beans to be shipped over for an overseas tour. Another anecdote that springs to mind is more recent. While being interviewed by Mark Taylor as Australia was making its run chase on the last day in the Adelaide Test this year, Taylor asked Warne if he thought he wanted to bat later in the day. Warne replied, "No way! I'm just here with a toasted sandwich and a coke!"
4) The Walk Up - I would call it a run up, but Warne has never once run when going in to bowl, so why lie? The most intriuging part of the walk up, though, is his habit of starting with the ball in his right hand, then left, and then back into the right before bowling. What actually happens in this process is anyone's guess. Does he begin imparting spin on the ball at this moment, thus giving him a head start? Or are we getting a unique insight into Warne's thinking process? "I'll bowl with my right hand....no, I'll bowl with my left hand! That'll fool them! Oh, f**k it, right hand it is."
5) Bowling - Ok, I lied. While I will miss Warnie's mannuerisms, I'll miss his bowling the most. Come back Shane!
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