Former WI players hail Warne as a giant of cricket

The news of the passing of former Australian leg-spinner Shane Warne sent shock waves throughout the cricketing world yesterday. From as far as Australia, to the tiny islands of the Caribbean, the cricket fraternity is mourning the loss of a man who revolutionised the art of spin bowling.

Warne, who passed away in Thailand at the age of 52, was remembered as a man that mastered the hardest craft in the game of cricket, leg-spin bowling. His remarkable numbers for Australia or domestically for Victoria, Hampshire, Rajasthan Royals and the Melbourne Stars are second to none, with the blond-haired spin maestro still holding the record for second-most wickets in Test cricket at 708.

Many would remember the effervescent right-arm leg-spinner who announced himself on the scene with a delivery dubbed the ‘Ball of the Century’ when he dismissed England’s Mike Gatting at Old Trafford back in the 1993 Ashes series.

Warne’s international career started in 1992 and lasted for 15 years. He played 145 Test matches and 194 One-Day Internationals.

Back home in the Caribbean, cricket fans remembered the fantastic duals which the Aussie legend had with players such as Phil Simmons, Brian Lara, Jimmy Adams and Wavell Hinds.

Some still remember the famous phrase from wicketkeeper Ian Healy who bellowed “Bowling Shane” on almost every Warne delivery.

The news of Warne’s death was just too much to bear for close friend Lara, who tweeted “And speechless at the moment. I literally don’t know how to sum up this situation. My friend is gone!! We have lost one of the Greatest Sportsmen of all time!! My condolences go out to his family. RIP Warnie!! You will be missed.”

Current West Indies coach Phil Simmons was also condolent in his remembrance of the man nicknamed ‘Warnie’.

“It is a sad day for cricket. I played against him earlier in his career. He transformed bowling, especially leg-spin bowling … he had a big impact all over the cricket world. I remember him playing against us and his battles with Brian Lara, and then we can all remember ‘that ball’ when he bowled Mike Gatting in The Ashes. We also admired his commentary after he ended playing and how great he was at that as well. He was a true legend of the game,” Simmons said.

Former West Indies captain and current director of cricket at Cricket West Indies, Jimmy Adams, is still trying to get over the sad news. However, he had nothing but high praises for the spin master.

“I am very saddened by Shane’s passing. His contribution to the game of cricket has been immeasurable. His level of skill, coupled with a natural exuberance for the game made him a great player and rival over the years. He still had so much to give to cricket and the global game will that much poorer for his passing.”

Former West Indies batsman and West Indies Players Association President Wavell Hinds remembered vividly a Test match he played against Warne back in 2006.

“How he went about his craft was amazing. He was always in your face every ball and even if you were on top, he wouldn’t allow you to believe you were on top. He always played his heart out for his country and he is probably the greatest leg-spinner of all time and arguably the greatest bowler of all time,” said Hinds.