Shane Warne: a light that shone beyond cricket

Highlights

• Shane Warne passed away on 4 March 2022, aged 52, of a suspected heart attack on Koh Samui Island.
• Warne will go down as one of the greatest players ever, claiming 708 Test wickets at an average of 25.41 in 145 matches.
• On March 30, a state funeral was held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

It’s a rare occurrence when the sudden death of a person, who wouldn’t know your name if they tripped over you, affects one in much the same way as the death of a beloved friend or family member.

I have a very vivid memory of walking down George Street, Sydney one Friday night in June 2009. Hours earlier, it had been reported that the King of Pop, Michael Jackson had died of a suspected drug overdose at 50 years of age. 

It was surreal to witness strangers tearfully embracing each other in the street as Michael Jackson’s iconic hits echoed out of every bar we passed and from every car that drove past us.

By all accounts, assassinations of both John Lennon in 1980, and US president John F Kennedy in 1962, elicited similar responses from the public.

It seems, every now and then, a person comes along who means so much to so many that the light that shines within them inexplicably makes the world a better place. And when that life is suddenly taken away, the world seems much darker as a result of their passing.

When I heard the news of Shane Warne’s sudden death, like millions around the world, I was shocked. In fact, for a couple of hours, I was convinced it must have surely been some kind of cruel hoax. Psychologists call that denial – one of the five stages of grief.

For the next several hours, I frantically scrolled through Twitter, my heart sinking with each verified source, expression of devastation and condolences for his three children. It became clear that Warne’s death was going to share the same cache as the likes of Michael Jackson, Princess Diana and John Lennon.

Indeed, for the next 48 hours, tributes to the King of Spin dominated news outlets everywhere. The extent of the coverage was perhaps macabre. But in any event, it showed just how much this self-professed “ordinary bloke” from Victoria changed the lives of millions around the world.

The greatest bowler ever

After learning of Warne’s passing late Thursday night, much of my weekend was spent on YouTube watching highlights of Warne’s career, which included hours upon hours of bewildered batsman bamboozled by leg breaks, flippers and googlies – all of which seemed to defy very laws of physics.

Warne will go down as one of the greatest players ever, claiming 708 Test wickets at an average of 25.41 in 145 matches.

In 2013, Warne was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame and was named one of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Century, alongside Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Jack Hobbs and Sir Vivian Richards.

Warne’s will to win

Image Source-© Amid | Megapixl.com

For all his mercurial deliveries, the one thing that made Warne such a rare competitor was his will to win. There aren’t too many team sports athletes who can lift the rest of their team and practically win a game single-handedly.

Reminiscing on Warne’s career, there’s one game that defined this very magic. Put simply, it was otherworldly.

It was April 1999 in Edgbaston in the UK - the World Cup semi-final. The tournament favourites, South Africa, are chasing just 213 runs – a modest total thanks to a lacklustre batting performance from the Australian team, who despite losing their opening game of the tournament, managed to pull it together and are now just one game away from a final with Pakistan.

There’s only one problem: South Africa are 48 without loss. Young batting prodigy Herschelle Gibbs has spent the last 12 overs making mincemeat of Australia’s pace attack.

It looks as though an early flight home for the prolific Australian team is inevitable.

Then something extraordinary happens. Well, it would be extraordinary if it weren’t for the fact that the subject – one Shane Keith Warne - hadn’t pulled this caper so many times throughout his career.

This time it’s the 13th over of the game which South Africa are well on their way to winning. It almost feels as though the Australian players have even resigned to a loss and are thinking about the movie they’re going to watch on the long flight back from England to Australia. 

Well, all except one – the man is now standing at the top of his mark and about to bowl the second delivery of his first over. It’s Shane Warne, glaring down the pitch at Gibbs, who’s about to have his batting skills put to the ultimate test. 

Time seems to stand still as Warne continues to stand at the top of his mark, glaring at Gibbs much in the same way a lion eyes a gazelle moments before pouncing upon it, ripping its throat open. 

Finally, Warne begins his iconic run-up – if you can call it that. In truth, it’s much more akin to a man sauntering up to a bar to order a round of schooners.

Be that as it may, Warne releases the ball, which moves through the air drifting ever so slightly drawing Gibbs to the pitch of the ball. The ball pitches outside the leg stump and then, as if teleporting itself, spins so much that it hits the top of the off stump, leaving thousands of spectators at the ground gasping in unison.

Warne isn’t gasping though. Instead, he is fist pumping and shouting in celebration. Well, not just in celebration. His cries of “Come on!” are heard through the stump mic to get his teammates out of their funk. He wants them to believe that they can win. That they will win.

Image Source- © Woodsy007 | Megapixl.com

In his second over, he takes two more wickets – Gary Kirsten who’s clean bowled trying to slog the ball into the Atlantic Ocean. Then two deliveries later, captain Hansie Cronje nicks one to Matthew Hayden at slip. 

And just like that, a game which looked done and dusted for South Africa has been turned on its head, thanks to one man’s pure will and belief.

Warne went on to take 4/29 off 10 overs and Australia won the game in one of the most exciting finishes in ODI history. Australia then went on to beat Pakistan convincingly in the final, winning their second World Cup.

More than a cricket legend

The day after I’d heard the news, I still hadn’t come to grips with it. The sudden death of a loved one really challenges the notion of what it means to really know something. Sure, the next day, I knew in my head that Shane Warne had died of a heart attack. I knew it on at an intellectual level. Yet at the same time, I didn’t really know it. 

In the 1997 film Good Will Hunting, there’s a famous scene where Will (Matt Damon) – a juvenile delinquent who happens to be a genius – is sitting with Sean (Robin Williams) – a psychotherapist who Will must see regularly if he wishes to stay out of prison.

After Will insults Sean in his first session, Sean takes Will to a park bench and lays some wisdom on him. He begins by talking about renowned painter Michelangelo.

“Michelangelo? You know a lot about him. Life’s work, political aspirations. Him and the pope. Sexual orientation. The whole works, right? I bet you can’t tell me what it smells like in the Sistine Chapel. You never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling”.

That’s the difference between knowing in your head and knowing in your soul.

Remembering Shane Warne At The Mcg In Australia 

Image Source- © Filedimage | Megapixl.com

We all know that Shane Warne was a phenomenal bowler, the likes of which probably won’t be seen again anytime soon.

However, the more I read tributes from those who knew him for years, it’s become increasingly clear that the shock, disbelief, grief and sadness stem more from what a fine, upstanding, decent and generous person he was.

That’s not to say he wasn’t flawed, of course. His transgressions throughout his time as a public figure were well documented, arguably to the point of insensitivity and exploitative sensationalism. 

Yet, despite those very public transgressions, he was always honest to a tee and remained true to himself and the public, warts, and all.  

Image Source- © Woodsy007 | Megapixl.com

 On March 30, a state funeral was held for Shane Kieth Warne at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

One in a million

Players like Shane Warne are rare. Players that can seemingly win a game single-handedly from just about anywhere.

Anyone who saw Netflix documentary The Last Dance, which chronicled the Chicago Bulls’ second three-peat in the late 1990s, would’ve seen that rare quality in Michael Jordan.

On occasions, whenever I’ve overheard an Australian trying to explain Shane Warne to an American, the phrase invariably uttered is: “He’s the Michael Jordan of cricket”

I disagree. In Australia, I’d venture to say, Michael Jordan was the Shane Warne of basketball.

And while you can take that with a grain of salt, now that I’ve had time to shift Warne’s passing from an intellectual knowledge to a more visceral acceptance, it’s become clear that while we may never see the likes of Shane Warne on the cricket field ever again, what made him so special to so many millions of people around the world was his character – an eternal light that shone too briefly; yet one that lit up the world and even in death, will continue to inspire and amaze for many years to come.