Loading
Much as he did on the cricket field. Watching Warnie bowl was like watching an enactment of the Oberammergau Passion Play. Everything was finely tuned, elaborately planned and played out to a tried and tested script. Ian Healy and the close fielders were important characters, but for Warnie, it was as much about the theatrics as it was about the art of spin bowling. He was a conjurer as much as a spin bowler. In his early days, he spun the ball as hard as anyone had. Those who batted against him said the ball seemed to have a life of its own as it hummed towards them, dipped and then spun crazily from the pitch.
His sturdy body and big, meaty hands were another important part of what made him the bowler he was. This, allied with a grip that was lower in the fingers, into the palm of the hand, was very different to the traditional leg spinners of previous generations, who held the ball more towards the end of the fingers. His grip and strong shoulder action, with a full follow-through, literally made the ball buzz.
Loading
During his career, I had the pleasure of commentating on a series in England and watched up-close while Warnie gave a master-class for the broadcasters before the start of play one morning at Edgbaston. I took the chance to grab a stump and stand in the batsman’s position to give him a reference point. It was fantastic to see the ball coming towards me before dipping to the leg side and spinning viciously from one of the side wickets. While I was there, I was formulating a plan in my mind of how I would have batted against him.
As a right-hander, I would not have wanted him to get behind my legs, which is a blind-spot (just ask Mike Gatting!) so I decided I would most likely have adopted a more front-on stance than the traditional side-on method, so I could keep the ball in view as much as possible. This would have had the other effect of putting his fielders out of position because I would then hit the ball straighter than his normal positions would account for.
Loading
I also would have wanted to take Warnie out of the picture and focus on the ball leaving his hand rather than him and his mind games. I have no doubt that he sucked many batsmen into his web of theatrics and they forgot to watch the ball. South Africa’s Daryll Cullinan was one who could not separate the two and fell constantly to his flipper. I wonder if his nightmares will stop now that Warnie has gone!
The others who were susceptible to his mind games were the umpires. Warnie would play the less experienced of them like an old fiddle with steel core strings and suck them into his web in the hope of encouraging them to give more lbws.
Shane was more than just a leg spinner. He was an entertainer with enormous charisma who attracted attention wherever he went. His success generated millions of viewers to the game and brought the art of leg spin to life. It also spawned a new generation of leg spinners who tried to walk up to the crease and let it rip! What they didn’t have was Shane’s brute strength and native cunning, so very few have reached great heights.
Bradman is unrivalled as the best batsman Australia has produced, Shane would be runaway best spinner, Keith Miller is unmatched as the best all-rounder, Jeff Thomson, the quickest fast bowler and Dennis Lillee the best fast bowler.
No one has had a bigger impact on the game since World War II than Shane, who managed to combine a flamboyant private life with a legendary, storied cricket career.
Loading
Once you got to know him, what you saw was what you got. He was unfailingly generous with his time with all and sparkling company. Determined to live his life his way, he genuinely didn’t worry what others thought of him. He was true to himself and very loyal to those close to him.
His impact reached every corner of the cricket world and beyond. Tributes are coming in from all points, which indicates the respect in which he was held by fan and foe alike. We will never see the like of him again, nor anyone even close.
RIP Shane.
The Morning Edition newsletter is our guide to the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up here.
How I’d have faced Warnie, the conjurer: Greg Chappell’s tribute to his friend
Source: Philippines Alive
