The last tweet that Shane Warne posted mourned the passing of the great Australian wicketkeeper Rodney Marsh: “Sad to hear the news that Rod Marsh has passed. He was a legend of our great game & an inspiration to so many young boys & girls. Rod cared deeply about cricket & gave so much-especially to Australia & England players. Sending lots & lots of love to Ros & the family. RIP mate.”
Twelve hours later, Warne, only 52 years old, is gone.
Like millions of cricket lovers across the world, I am in shock. From two corners of the world, David Warner and Rohit Sharma tweeted almost simultaneously: “I’m lost for words.”
Warne was certainly one of the greatest spinners and greatest cricketers ever. His artistry was unmatched and often indistinguishable from magic. The very first ball he ever bowled against England, in 1993 at Old Trafford, is widely called the “ball of the century”, and among Australian and English fans, simply as “that ball”. The ball landed outside the leg stump of Mike Gatting, then spun monstrously, evading Gatting’s bat and clipping the top of his off-stump. Gatting stood motionless for a few moments before walking off, still unable to believe what had just happened.
Also read: Shane Warne’s top records in his 15-year career
When he retired, the Australian cricket journalist Gideon Haigh wrote: “It was said of Augustus that he found Rome brick and left it marble: the same is true of Warne and spin bowling.”
Yet, Warne was more than just a magnificent cricketer. There have been many magnificent cricketers and there will many more. But Warne was unique. In Warne, you got a full human package, superbly talented and deeply flawed. He kept getting into trouble but never lost his sheer joie de vivre. He was a man who brought a rare joy, spunk, humour, cheer with him every time he stepped on to a field. Can you recall any photo of Warne where he isn’t smiling or laughing? I can’t.
That tubby man—intensely competitive but always cheerful—was one of a kind.
Warne never captained Australia, but no one had ever doubted his sharp strategic mind. If any proof of that was ever needed, he provided it by captaining the weak-on-paper Rajasthan Royals to victory in the first Indian Premier League in 2008. This, after having retired from international cricket.
His career was turbulent. He was accused of passing on information to an Indian bookie during a 1994 tour of Sri Lanka. Prior to the 2003 World Cup, at the height of his powers, he failed a dope test and was banned for a year. He fought with his long-time captain Steve Waugh, calling him “the most selfish cricketer” he had ever known. There were several sex scandals. He signed a lucrative contract with a nicotine gum, which mandated that he not smoke for a certain period of time, and then was photographed smoking. On a TV show, he rubbished the theory of evolution, asking if humans did evolve from monkeys, why did all monkeys not evolve.
Yet you could never be angry with him for long. That wide prankster grin, that ever-present mischievous twinkle in his eyes would always make you forgive all his transgressions. Because he always seemed to be asking you: “Hey, why so serious, mate?”
Let us remember him then for what he was: an utterly brilliant but naughty boy who never really grew up—the lawless backbencher who drove all his teachers up the wall, but also topped every exam.
Now that one thinks about it, one is quite unable to imagine Warne ever getting old—too old to rock and roll. And he did not. But he was certainly definitely tragically too young to die. There will never be another one like him.
Also read: Shane Warne - The wizard who glorified spin bowling
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