The sorcerer of spin

By Prof Satya Narayan Misra*

Kerry Packer, the stormy petrel of Australian cricket, who changed the syntax of cricket with the tagline: ‘Big Boys Play at Night’, with a rebel series in 1977 once told Shane Warne: Sell the blue Ferrari, son, lie low for a while. Shane writes in his autobiography ‘No Spin’: ‘So I did, bought a silver one. Lying low has not been my thing. I have lived with the moment and ignored the consequences. This has served me both well and painfully, depending on which moment.’ If it was not quite sex, drug and rock and roll, it was certainly wickets, women , wine, cigarettes, bets, slimy texts, use of diuretics, not necessarily in that order. It was the last that kicked him out of the 2003 World Cup.

He was a character and charisma rarely seen in great cricketers like Bradman. That’s why Australian cricket spawned characters like Keith Miller, who defied the Don in the 1940s, and Ian Chapell in the 70s who challenged the dour inflexibility of Bradman, the Chairman of Australian cricket. Shane doted on Ian and no wonder he betted on Warne to be the Australian Skipper which went to Steve Waugh, who was backed up by the dour Allan Border. By common consent he was the best captain, Australia never had. He proved his mettle as the captain of Rajasthan Royals in 2008, winning the trophy with absolute rookies like Jadeja and Yusuf Pathan, with whom he communicated through the eyes!

Of the five best cricketers of all time Wisden chose in 2000, Hobbs, Don, Gary, Viv were the batsmen and the lone bowler was Warne, ahead of the wily pacer Dennis Lilee. It’s not surprising that he along with Muthia Muralidharan and India’s Anil Kumble proved in the 90s that slow bowling is not a dying art. And Glen, Wasim, Waqar, Donald and Ambrose are not the only predators against rampaging batsmen.

Ravi Shastri who pulverised him in 1992 in the Sydney test along with Sachin writes in his book Star Gazing: He gave a dramatic send off with terribly unflattering figure of 1/150 in the opening match. He had a sharp tongue, sharper mind and enjoyed mental jousts. He can pick up nuances in a match ahead of most, like Ian Chappell. At his best, he was pure theatre, a larger than life character. ‘No wonder he bowled the ball of the century to Mike Gatting in 1993, when the balls turned miles from leg stump to take the bails off the off stump. It was the best googly I have seen in TV. 18 years earlier I had watched Chandrasekhar clean bowling Lloyd in the secod innings for 28 in Eden’s garden. I have never seen a more befuddled and clueless Clive and a clueless Viv at his prime, facing Chandra. Warne could turn the ball prodigiously, even on an unhelpful wicket. Richie Benaud, the erudite political commentator, leg spinner and captain of no mean repute wrote when he bowled Basit Ali: ‘He has done him between his legs.’

It was said of Augustus that he found Rome brick and left marble. The same is true of Warne and his spin bowling’. The world of cricket has not seen a better pace spin combine than of Glen and Warne  as they hunted down the best with their metronomic accuracy and guile. They changed the adage in the 70s that if Thommo will not get Lilee will. He will remain the cricket lodestar, a unique character, and Sultan of Spin, who would possibly be driving a safari, painting the sky red and bringing cheer to the staid.