Shane Warne had a larger-than-life presence that often spilled over the edges of the cricket field and into the tabloids. Here are 8 reasons why he’ll live long in our memories.
Australians woke up on the weekend to the news that Shane Warne had died at the age of 52. An ever-present fixture of Australian culture during his playing days, his on-field genius and off-field indiscretions made for a unique blend of hero and villain — the antithesis of the stage-managed, air-brushed sports celebrity.
Read on for 8 events that sum up the legacy of the late Shane Warne.
The Gatting ball
Yep, this is the one you’ve been YouTubing all weekend. And those goosebumps are no accident either. The delivery was impressive enough (even non-fans of cricket can see that the ball literally moves in two different directions before hitting the stumps. Hint: that ain’t easy), but the context is even more significant.
This was Warne’s first Ashes Test in England (Australia’s fiercest rival in cricket). And this was the very first ball that he bowled in a Test Match versus England. From that moment, he’d go on to terrorise England’s batters for around 15 years.
Spare a thought for Mike Gatting. As he walks off the field he looks visibly baffled. It’s a moment best summed up by legendary commentator Richie Benaud: “Gatting has absolutely no idea what has happened to it. He still doesn’t know.”
The Flipper
As evidenced by the Gatting ball, spin bowling is all about creating confusion in the mind of the batter. Spinning also means changing direction, so Warne invented the “Flipper” — a ball that looked like it was going to spin, but then didn’t.
As you can see from the compilation below, batters were often made to look pretty silly by this subtle piece of trickery.
Hat Trick versus England
Poor England.
Any bowler will tell you that a hat-trick is one of the sweetest prizes out there. Three consecutive balls, three wickets: the equation is easy, but doing the deed is exceptionally hard and it’s one of the rarest achievements in the game. But Warnie did it, of course.
Here’s his hat trick against England in 1994. As you can but the reactions of the players, crowd, and commentator Tony Grieg, it’s pretty exciting. Warne was helped out by his good mate David Boon with an absolute ripper of a catch and the official owner of cricket’s greatest ever moustache.
Bookmaking scandal
But, as we all know, Shane Warne was not immune from making bad decisions. The first such scandal of his career came out of a 1994 tour of Sri Lanka, when he and teammate Mark Waugh were given money by an Indian bookie — who referred to himself only as “John” — in exchange for information regarding the weather and pitch conditions of an upcoming match.
It took three years for the information to come out and was a bad look for him and Australian cricket in general. Waugh and Warne were fined over the affair.
Affairs and marriage breakdown
Shane Warne and Simone Callahan got married in 1995 and went on to have three children together. But during his extensive overseas Warne engaged in several trysts, including dirty texts, and multiple other infidelities.
For better or worse, many of these episodes ended up on the front pages of newspapers in Australia and England (where Warne was spending a lot of time playing cricket). Shane and Simone got divorced in 2005.
Taking a banned substance
At the peak of his powers, Shane Warne was rubbed out of the game for a year after taking a banned substance. It was a massive blow for Warnie, happening on the eve of the 2003 World Cup, which Australia went on to win in dominant fashion.
But what makes the controversy so weird was the nature of the drug itself. It was a diuretic pill given to him by his mum that had nothing to do with performance: it was all about slimming down for the cameras, apparently.
Warnie gets 700
There’s no doubt that Shane Warne was comfortable in his celebrity status as a player. This predilection for the rock star lifestyle landed him in hot water many times off the field (as we’ve seen), but remarkably, his performances on the field didn’t suffer at all.
After sitting on the bench for a year after his banned substance suspension, his career went from strength to strength, amassing a pile of wickets that was greater than had seen at the time of his retirement in 2007. Just a couple of months before he called it quits, he took his 700th wicket in Test Cricket. And wouldn’t you know it — it was against England!
The (not so) quiet life
So when it was time for Warnie to hang up the boots, did he hitch a caravan to one of his many luxury sports cars and become a grey nomad? I think we all know the answer to that.
Someone with the fame of Warne was always destined for a “retirement” in the media spotlight. He commentated on cricket extensively for media outlets all over the world, flogged a bunch of stuff (hey, we all gotta get paid, right?), and got engaged to Liz Hurley (okay, gotta admit, that was out of left-field).
But one thing you might not have expected: he was a proud ally to the LGBTQIA+ community. The Sydney Gay & Lesbian Mardi Gras paid tribute to him on the weekend for publicly backing the YES campaign in the same-sex marriage plebiscite of 2017, as well as advocating for inclusivity in cricket.
Before we takeover the SCG today, we must acknowledge the tragic news from early this morning that Australian cricket legend Shane Warne has passed away. Shane was an outspoken supporter of the LGBTQIA+ community and a proud ally. pic.twitter.com/cMmVBemSHq
— Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras (@sydneymardigras) March 5, 2022
While you might not have expected that he would’ve taken such a stand, it shouldn’t come as a surprise. Amidst the outpouring of tributes for Warnie in the last few days have emerged countless personal anecdotes that demonstrate his affability and humility, with strangers and friends alike. Yes, he was the best and he knew it. Yes, he lived fast and he wasn’t afraid of admitting it. Yes, he made mistakes, but he never made excuses. No one could accuse him of not being himself.
Farewell to the working-class, ciggie-and-beer-loving kid who became king and never forgot just how lucky he was.
Plus, he played a Shane Warne impersonator on Kath and Kim. Genius.
Lots of special memories of Shane Warne, but the one that’s sparked the most conversations for me today has been one away from cricket.
His appearance as Wayne the Shane Warne impersonator on Kath and Kim.
So many people who had no interest in cricket loved him for this cameo. pic.twitter.com/45o5NgWRG8
— Lachlan McKirdy (@LMcKirdy7) March 5, 2022
