Shane Warne
Shane Keith Warne – arguably the best spinner ever – claimed the last wicket of his cricketing career (after announcing his retirement from all forms of the game), which has lasted for close to 20 years. His performance after his official retirement from international cricket in the IPL all the four seasons has been outstanding and had a significant influence in the winning of Rajasthan Royals (RR). The ball with which he got Rohit Sharma (who was batting on 53, his last wicket) was a tribute in itself on how well he can bowl even at the age of 41! It spun past him as he was attempting an inside out shot over cover and keeper did the rest!
Shane Warne started his career in the year 1992 against India at Sydney (one of the most spinner friendly grounds in the world) and claimed only one wicket in the entire match. It was not an auspicious start as many would have imagined much like the batting maestro’s start against Pakistan (where Sachin got out for a duck) but his performance improved leaps and bounds over the years. After an inauspicious start to his Test career, Warne revolutionized cricket thinking with his mastery of leg spin, which many cricket followers had come to regard as a dying art due to its immense difficulty of execution. Warne combined the ability to turn the ball prodigiously, even on unhelpful pitches, with unerring accuracy and a variation of deliveries (notable among these being the flipper).
He came into the limelight by bowling the “BALL OF THE CENTURY” or the Gatting ball which spun at right angles and took the off stump of Gatting. That, marked the announcement of the King of Spin to the international arena from where he never looked back. He was the first of the bowlers to reach 700 wickets which was later overtaken by his spin counterpart Murali. But as per the expert comments and reviews, Warne on his day can be lethal and better than Murali as his variations are subtle and has the ability to dismiss even the well set batsmen.
Warne will be missed dearly in competitive cricket. Many felt that even at the age of 40, Warne warranted a comeback into the Australian cricket as the team struggled to find a replacement for him. He has been a big match player and has been one of the main stays in the world cup triumph of Australia and the golden era of test cricket. His record alongside McGrath, McDermott, Lee, Gillespie and Hughes is simply amazing as he single handedly took the responsibility to bowl out some of the highly rated oppositions.
Cricket after Warne’s era will take a different direction and it’s almost impossible to find a substitute for this magician who is “once in a lifetime player” Shane – adios to you and many people get the inspiration from you and you will always be the “best captain that Australia never had a chance to have.”
Tags: Cricket, Flipper, King Of Spin, Rajasthan Royals, Revolutionizing Cricket, RR, Shane Warne
