shane-warne

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Ponting and Buchanan under fire from Ritchie

3 years ago, at the start of October

God it’s been a tough weekend. Walking on the beach; sitting in the pub, sitting in another pub overlooking another beach; walking on the cliffs overlooking a beach; eating fresh fish in our local pub with a beer and walking the three minutes to our house; walking round Salcombe and eating far too many pasties. I’m exhausted with my gluttonous relaxation. So it’s with tired eyes I read of Greg Ritchie’s bashing of John Buchanan and Ricky Ponting.

If Australia’s coach and captain remain in power, Ritchie thinks England will win the Ashes.

“Australia would win the Ashes if Shane Warne was captain,” Ritchie was quoted in The Sydney Morning Herald. “On the field, he [Ponting] doesn’t know what’s going on. England’s bowlers have our measure.”

Read the full story at Cricinfo then come back here and leave comments.

England unearth their Murali

3 years ago, mid-September

One of English cricket’s many failures in the 1990s was to find an English Shane Warne. It was understandable, given Warne’s total domination throughout two thirds of the decade - but that English cricket, then nearing crisis, could drum up a legspinner was shortsighted and completely ignorant. Worse still, our Warne-less attack simply provided the authorities (and captains?) an excuse for the run of defeats. We haven’t got a Warne, we haven’t got a hope. Luckily, Duncan Fletcher arrived to shake things up a bit and we gradually grew less sycophantic and needy.

As recently as this summer, Mike Atherton - himself a former legspinner - wrote of England’s blasé attitude to spin bowling, in particular legspin. Only when he first toured Australia did he realise how seriously it was considered, and how utterly ignorant English schools cricket was towards the art. Even I experienced this at school. This is changing, albeit slowly, and England now have their very own spin coach - David Parsons. The emergence of people like Adil Rashid from Yorkshire is only the start, but it’s a start the 1990s administrators could only have dreamed of.

Hot on the footsteps of Rashid comes England’s answer to Rubber Man himself, Muttiah Muralitharan. Come on down Sachin Vaja, a mystically named offspinner with an equally deceptive doosra. Matthew Pryor, son (or grandson?) of the spin machine Merlyn’s inventor, has the full story at tomorrow’s Times.

Doctor who? Doctor Warne?

3 years ago, mid-September

It’s been a mixed birthday for Shane Warne. As far as play was concerned, Warne managed to find himself en route to hospital earlier after being hit above the grill of his helmet. Unable to be given stitches, he came out to resume his innings with his right eye almost completely obscured, and was unsurprisingly soon dispatched. Hampshire only managed to muster 131, which they will do very well to defend with their captain unable to take the field as yet.

Before the match, however, the world’s greatest leg spinner was bedecked in gown and cap to receive an honorary doctorate from Southampton Solent University for his services to cricket. Whilst Dr. Warne looked amused, he seemed to receive the accolade quite happily from the same institution to hand Master of Arts degrees to Robin Smith and David Gower.

Warne survives the boot-camp (just)

3 years ago, at the end of August

Shane Warne has revealed what he and his team-mates have been up to at the boot camp - a John Buchanan concept - in the past week, including some tasks more associated with the military than sportsmen:

I was shattered. But just as the night went silent, voices screamed: “Go, go, go!”. What on earth was going on? A stun-bomb had gone off, and we were told the area wasn’t safe. We had to move. Now. There were no torches or directions.
All we had been given for dinner was half a can of chunky soup, so our energy reserves were low after pulling vans and carrying litres of water. But we had to go. It was time to prove our mental resolve and move to a different location.

Welcome to the Australian cricket squad’s boot camp in regional Queensland, a time where we had only been referred to as numbers, not names, and weren’t allowed to communicate with the outside world.

Despite voicing his indifference to the idea beforehand, Warne said “there’s no doubt it brought the group closer together.”

I’m an umpire, get me out of here. What next for Darrell?

3 years ago, at the end of August

Inzy you gotta let me know
Should I stay or should I go?
If you say that you are tampering
Ill be here til the media stop hampering
So you got to let know
Should I stay or should I go?

My rubbish attempt at some lyrics there, courtesy of The Clash. So, if Darrell Hair does resign (and even if he doesn’t, frankly), what are his future career prospects? Nothing too rude please ladies and gents, and ideally not libellous either, but anything funny is good. Funny’s always good.

Maybe he’ll do a Tufnell and frolic in the jungle. Or a Darren Gou….er, maybe not. Strictly Come Darrell (but only if you pay me $500,000) doesn’t quite have the same ring. Personally, I think he’s ideally situated to copy Graham Gooch and Shane Warne…a marketer’s dream.

No wonder they love him at the Rose Bowl

3 years ago, mid-August

County cricketers have seen all sorts of players come and go, not least with overseas players coming and going. Shane Warne’s stints at Hampshire have been something else. He is not just a ‘gun for hire’ for Hampshire, he’s totally committed to their cause.

That’s why he’s not too happy at being called back to Australia for a three day training camp.

And rightfully so. With the new rules about what you can and can’t do on an airplane these days, Warne faces two full days of flying, a three day training camp, and a bad dose of jet-lag, right in the middle of his constant battle to get Hampshire to the county Championship.

Other overseas professionals might be indifferent, but to Warne, this is a deeply irritating thing, and Hampshire know that. It’s part of why he’s so popular down there.

Video of Damien Fleming’s near hat-trick against India

3 years ago, mid-August

I’d forgotten about this:

End of over 30 (5 runs) India 91/5 (305 more runs req)
GD McGrath 8-1-26-2 (4nb) - Cathedral End
SC Ganguly 41* (69b 4×4) MSK Prasad 11* (37b)

30.1 Fleming to Ganguly, no run, back foot defence to cover
30.2 Fleming to Ganguly, two runs, forced off the back foot through
forward of square leg
30.3 Fleming to Ganguly, OUT: top edged hook shot, brilliant diving
right handed catch-not bad for a left handed keeper

India 93/6, Partnership of 45
SC Ganguly c Gilchrist b Fleming 43 (72b 4×4 0×6)
MSK Prasad 11* (37b) DW Fleming 5.3-1-23-2

30.4 Fleming to Agarkar, OUT: firm footed drive off the full face of the
bat to the 2nd gully

India 93/7, Partnership of 0
AB Agarkar c SR Waugh b Fleming 0 (1b 0×4 0×6)
MSK Prasad 11* (37b) DW Fleming 5.4-1-23-3

30.5 Fleming to Srinath, one run, edged a widish delivery off the back
foot to first slip where Warne put down the catch at shoulder
height
30.6 Fleming to MSK Prasad, no run

Scorecard. He removed Sourav Ganguly then Ajit Agarkar…but Warne put down the third, an absolute dolly! As Tufnell might say, ‘appy days…

Warne praises Monty’s performance

3 years ago, mid-August

I’m sure Warne doesn’t really write his blog, he’ll surely have a ghost. But it does sound like him…so I remain sceptical! Whatever. He’s been praising Monty today:

I got to see a bit of the Test as well between England and Pakistan. Headingley can be hard work for spinners - I think only 2 wickets have been taken there in the last 10 years by England spinners or something like that so Monty Panesar deserves a lot of applause for his efforts. He spun it on a pitch that normally suits seamers, he changed pace well, bowled with discipline and importantly when things were not happening as Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan were both scoring 150’s, he kept the scoring rate slow.

In fact, he did everything that was asked of him and on a difficult pitch. Well bowled Monty. It’s great to see a left arm spinner tossing it up, turning it and taking wickets. So far - and he has only just started - he looks the real deal. This winter in Australia will be a good challenge for him, the crowds will get on him and no doubt the batsmen, especially the left handers will want to knock him out of his stride. Just the kind of challenge we spinners love!

I also like the way that he plays with a big smile. Every wicket receives a great running jumping celebration. Why not? Fast men do it and so should we. It’s spontaneous and shows how much he cares and how competitive he is. Trust me I don’t mind celebrating a wicket. That’s why I’m there - to get people out.

More at his blog

Warne’s blog: is it him?

3 years ago, mid-June

As Alan Sugar says, “I like winners, but I’m no gambler”. Warne is a winner and a gambler though, and his new blog is worth a read. I’m not yet convinced it’s him - how would he have the time to do it? - but judging from the style of the writing, it could well be. His latest entry is pretty interesting.

While answering these questions, I was involved in a game of poker with the journalists and one man from The Star fired a million questions at me and still won the first pot taking two thirds of my chips. There was not even a smirk as he raked in an arm full of chips from a four man pot. Dean Wilson is his name and one that I shall I remember as a bit of a poker player.

It wasn’t all bad though with the journos. One poker magazine, Total Gambler, was so short stacked that I went all-in blind and he called. He was confident - I hadn’t even seen my cards and I was a big underdog when I turned over a 6 of clubs and the big slick (ace king). At least I had flush chances and hoped for a straight but it looked liked Adios time until the flop (2,5,7) gave me an open-ended straight draw. He was still ahead and the flush was gone but I now had nines, fours, eights and sixes on my side and the turn came with a beautiful nine giving me a straight. Steve McDowell of Total Gambler is a reasonable player but he called me a Lucky ******* as the river came with nothing, winning me the hand.

Comment of the week: SMS Warne

3 years ago, mid-June

I should try and do a “Comment of the week” thing, somehow. Over 12,000 comments have been left here by you ‘orrible lot, not including my own unintelligible ramblings, so it reveals an interesting microsm into the weird world of a cricket fan. This is no better highlighted than the most recent comment, left by Aussie in Barnsley:

I am delighted that “Shane Warne - The Musical” is being developed. I am anticipating it will be like “I, Keano” on viagra, with a load of SMS action for good measure.

Unless your first name is Simone, I can’t think why anyone would dislike Warney. He is one of the greatest social experiments of all time - give someone the most sublime sporting talent, a sexual appetite that a would put a rabbit to shame, a mobile phone plan that includes unlimited free SMS’s and several thousand litres of peroxide and see what happens.

Cricket, and the world, will be much the poorer when Warney retires and starts texting women in retirement villages.

Shane Warne’s blog

3 years ago, at the start of June

Warna’s got himself a blog. Says he’ll be keeping it updated. Orrrrr yeeahh mate.

Shane Warne: The Musical

3 years ago, at the start of June

I think it was Zainub who let us know of this, so apologies to her for not replying. It’s old news now, but sod it - there’s to be a musical of Shane Warne’s life. I really have nothing else to add to this news, so will leave it to the SMH:

Melbourne comedian Eddie Perfect is writing a large-scale show that will set the Warney saga to song.

Still at an early stage, the musical will feature well-known incidents from the controversial cricketer’s career, Perfect said. “There’s definitely going to be a text message song. You can’t do Warney without the text,” he said.

Perfect hasn’t told Warne about the production. Yet. He said: “I’m sort of scared about him finding out about it, but I’m in two minds. There’ll probably be stuff in there that he’s not that excited is in there.”

The clapping seal

3 years ago, at the start of June

Jenny, my colleage at Cricinfo, has had two rather good days in the past week. Firstly, during the final Test at Trent Bridge, she spent a day with David Gower, Nasser Hussain, Ian Botham and the other Sky commentators. Naturally she’s in love with every single one of them (our ears are bleeding) but they all sound like great fun (and they have a lot of fun, too). David Lloyd (”Bumble”) is as you would expect him to be: sharp, constantly witty and an allround top bloke. Anyway I can’t spoil her piece; she’s writing it up and it’ll be published at Cricinfo quite soon.

As if that couldn’t be topped, today she faced an over (I think) at Shane Warne! And interviewed him and other stuff. So that’s two fairly cool (and unique) things you should keep an eye out on Cricinfo.