The Hindu : Sport : A genius beyond compare

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Dec 21, 2006
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A genius beyond compare

He is a supreme technician with every perfect weapon in a spinner's armoury

Warne has demanded the spotlight, provoked rapture and fury but never boredom, writes Peter Roebuck

Shane Warne has been the most extraordinary, exotic and entertaining cricketer the game has known.

In his hands a cricket ball could perform previously unconsidered gyrations, spinning at right angles, skidding like a puck upon ice, changing directions after an initial curl or else dropping sharply to leave the batsman groping at thin air.

He took a bag of tricks onto the field and dipped into it with the cunning of a rat and the theatricality of a tragedian. And now the end is near.

Treasure these last few days as the old rascal pitches another jewel of a leg-break or carts another irreverent forty or plots another clever dismissal or presides over another imposing performance. Treasure them because we will not see his like again.

Warne's imminent withdrawal is not altogether a surprise. Nor is it a bluff. He will go and he will not come back. He has an acute sense of timing.

Body giving up

His back has been stiff these last few weeks. Although he did not complain, it took him days to recover from those long spells in cruel heat in Adelaide and Perth. He did not enjoy those stints as much as before, and protested in his own way, aiming outside leg-stump. Nor was waking up sore the next few mornings much fun. His captain needed to take greater care of him. Not that Warne complained.

Whatever his faults elsewhere, he has always been a willing worker on the field, a servant of the side. No one ever saw him throw in a towel. He has had much of the actor in him, and none of the prima donna.

Yet it was not his body but his brain that told him his time was almost up. Australia's victories in the last two Tests released him from his last burden. The Ashes have been regained. He could retire on his own terms.

Delighting home fans

He did not want to leave without giving Melbournites one last chance to salute him, one last opportunity to see him play. It is not a question of ego. Rather it is a matter of respect. Melbourne was entitled to know that he was going. It has been his home.

After that he can say good-bye in Sydney and then join the pals who have been keeping his seat warm in the commentary box. It was an inevitable transition. Warne needs to stay inside the circle, where he is known and sometimes loved.

Warne has been a giant. He has been the finest and hardest spinner of the ball the game has known, and amongst its most compelling characters. Debate may rage about his status as a saint or as a sinner but the fascination endures.

Throughout he has been good enough to compromise criticism and command adoration. He has been blessed with the ability needed to make scandals shrink. Throughout he has demanded the spotlight. He has provoked fury and rapture but never boredom.

Amongst all the controversies and performances it has been easy to forget that Warne has been first and foremost an exceptional cricketer. Although he has put on a rare performance, nothing has been done for mere effect. Neither artistry nor trickery defined him. He never fell so in love with the show that he forgot the substance.

Above all he has been a fine and true cricketer, a man intent upon taking wickets, holding catches and scoring runs. He has been a student of the game, eager to learn, determined to improve.

Certainly he was interested in girls, beer, pizza and footy but he was also fascinated by the different ways he could grip and release the ball. Likewise he quickly recognised the importance of the blind spot. He was the common man who dared to follow his star. Nor has his interest waned.

Shining light

Now he departs a scene he has mostly adorned and always brightened. It has not just been about casting spells. Certainly he has made us gasp. He has been a supreme technician who stalked his victims patiently before trapping them with his rare blend of control and cunning. In short he had every weapon in the spinner's armoury, all of them honed to perfection.

Some sportsmen are acknowledged as geniuses. Others are regarded as greats of their game. Warne has been both.

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