In August 1982 i was sat in the Mound stand at Lords for the Saturday of the second test match between England Pakistan. The visitors were in a commanding position having declared at 428 for 8. England reached 3 for 89 with David Gower and Ian Botham at the crease. Abdul Qadir was brought on to bowl and produced one of the most memorable and mesmerising displays of spin bowling. I was fortunate to be able to change seats and move to sit in the Nursery end behind the bowler’s arm to see just how much Qadir was turning the ball. Bad light stopped play with England 226 for 9 and still trying to avoid the follow-on. Qadir bowled 24 overs, nine of which were maidens, and had taken four wickets for 39 runs. It was a performance never to be forgotten.
I thought at the time I had seen one of the great spin bowlers executing his craft to almost perfection; for no one attains perfection.
When Shane Warne first appeared on the test scene in Sydney in the series against India, he looked out of place. There had been key individuals in Australian cricket who had seen the potential in the young Victorian and wanted him fast-tracked to the Australian side. He made his debut after just seven first class games. He took 1/150 off 45 overs, his sole wicket that of Ravi Shastri caught by the late Dean Jones for 206. No wickets in the fourth test and Warne was dropped.
There would have been many who thought that we had seen the last of Shane Warne. Oh how wrong they were. He went away and worked on his fitness and his bowling and when he came back he became one of the all time great leg-spinners in the history of the game.
He also became arguably one of Cricket’s first true superstars. Warne, became a disciplined hard-nosed competitive cricketer, but he never sacrificed his personality. Here was a cricketer that would have slotted into the Chappell era of the 70’s with ease. For Warne was a player that the average man on the street could relate to. He had to be careful to watch his weight, he liked a smoke and a drink and he made mistakes. More importantly he loved playing cricket, and it showed.
Warne made several mistakes when it came to his personal life and in affairs with the opposite sex, but the public forgave him. He took money from “John the bookmaker” for pitch and weather reports with Mark Waugh. Something the ACB tried to keep a lid on and to all intents and purposes did for both players escaped with a fine and little more.
On 15th December 2002 in a VB Series match against England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground Warne was reported to have dislocated his shoulder. The same shoulder he had undergone reconstructive surgery on in May 1998. Immediately there were concerns about Warne being fit for the 2003 World Cup in South Africa as Australia’s first game was on February the 11th. In truth had this been a straight dislocation medical experts claimed that there was absolutely no chance Warne would have been fit for the World Cup. It was confirmed to me at the 2003 Cricket World Cup by a member of the Australian medical staff that Warne had in fact suffered a shoulder subluxation. This is similar to a dislocation in that the arm bone is ripped from its place of rest. Instead of coming the whole way out of the socket, the arm bone slides to the edge of the socket where it may damage the socket without completely coming out. The recovery time was still going to be tight but the chance was that he would make it.
On Tuesday 11th of February I arrived in Johannesburg to cover Australia’s opening game of the World Cup. Before I left the airport I heard news that Warne was not going to be playing as he had failed a drugs test. Soon after having the story confirmed I broke the news on 6PR in Perth and on 947 Highveld Radio in Johannesburg. I then attended the press conference, which was unlike any I have ever attended. Chairs were set up in the front with TV crews allocated space behind as normal. As soon as Warne and James Sutherland the CEO of Cricket Australia entered the room bedlam ensued. Chairs were thrown out of the way and people pushed aside as TV crews and photographers surged towards Warne.
This was the first time I had ever seen the man close up and he looked to be in shock, at clearly the fact he was heading home and also that the press conference had in seconds become so unruly. I remember feeling genuinely sorry for him. One could see then, like all of our our sporting heroes, he was just a normal guy who happened to be outstanding at his craft, and this behaviour was something he could not comprehend.
The year’s suspension that he received for taking a banned substance was a blessing in disguise as Channel Nine had the foresight to give him a role in the commentary box. Warne would go on to become one of the best in the business. He shared insights into his wonderful cricket mind and made the viewer realise how Australia missed out on never having him captain the national team. He would never sit on the fence, unlike many of his former team mates who had also crossed over into commentary. If he had an opinion or a view he would share it. Sure it ruffled the feathers of some, but it had people talking about cricket. It created conversation at a time when the sport sorely needed it. His contribution in the commentary box is going to be missed as much as his contribution as a player, probably far more.
Shane Warne was the superstar he was because he was a man of the people. Australians could relate to him, and felt that he was very much one of them. He made them believe that dreams can come true. Yes, he had his faults, and he made mistakes, but don’t we all? Sure, he was disliked by some, but that is life.
The first time I ever saw Shane Warne play live was in 1993 against the West Indies at the WACA. It was not a good test for the Victorian or Australia. I saw him close up at Headingley in 1997 when I was writing “Headingley Remembered – A Century of Ashes Cricket.” It is fair to say he enjoyed the victory celebrations after that match. Yet for all his bowling prowess the Warne performance that stands out in the memory having watched it live was him accumulating his highest test score of 99 at the WACA against New Zealand in 2001 and the collective groan that came from everyone in the ground as Mark Richardson took the catch.
I was fortunate to meet Warne five years ago. He was supposed to be at an event, but had been delayed. He arrived an hour late. Many of those hoping to meet him had left, those who remained had their photos taken with him and their various articles signed and were gone. As one of the few remaining we started up a conversation about his time at Hampshire; a county i dreamt of playing for. As expected there were no airs or graces with him, he was just a down to earth regular guy, who incidentally said he loved his time at the Rose Bowl.
Shane Warne was special, not just as a cricketer, but as a man. He was able to make mistakes but there was something special about him which saw everyone forgive him. There may have been times he did get ahead of himself when he was younger, but when you are the best at your craft not just in your generation but possibly of all time, then surely you can be forgiven a little bit of arrogance?
I thought I had seen the best performance by a leg spinner when I watched Abdul Qadir that day at Lords in 1982. Shane Warne was just 12 at the time, and few knew his name. Forty years later his name is on everyone’s lips as they come to terms with the fact that he has left us at just 52 years of age.
If ever there was a time you wanted DRS it would be now with this his final dismissal. For Cricket will never be the same without him. Those of who saw him play were blessed, those who faced him may not feel the same way, but you can bet they will be telling their children and grandchildren they did.
May he forever rest in peace.
