Philip Hackett

There have been several spinners who have attracted attention over the past decade but for consistency and longevity none can match Muttiah Muralitharan and Warne. Both have been controversial in different ways.  The legality of Muralitharan’s bowling action has been raised repeatedly and to some extent still remains the subject of much discussion. Any cloud surrounding Warne has been related primarily to his life off the field, the most significant event being his one year ban after failing a drug Test just prior to the 2003 World Cup. Some elements of his personal and family life have also attracted attention but after his retirement at the end of the Ashes series Warne will hopefully only be remembered for his tantalizing leg spin bowling that has bamboozled batsmen at all levels for more than a decade.

Warne quietly entered the Test arena against India at Sydney on January 2, 1992 and had the unflattering figures of one for 150 from 45 overs in his first Test outing. In the second innings of that match India’s left arm spinner Ravi Shastri took four for 45 after scoring a double century in the only innings India batted in a drawn contest.

Though West Indies has been struggling as a Test nation for the majority of time Warne has dominated world cricket, our regional team has seldom experienced the full extent of Warne’s destructive ability. In 19 matches against us he has taken 65 wickets at 29.95. His best of seven for 52, one of three five wicket hauls against the West Indies, took the Aussies to victory at Melbourne after West Indies had been set 359 to win.  The performance came just three days short of the first anniversary of his Test debut. A second wicket partnership between Phil Simmons (110) and Richie Richardson (52) appeared to be putting the visitors on course at 143 for one before Warne stepped in to trigger a collapse to 219 all out.

Despite his phenomenal Test record the Caribbean has not been a happy hunting ground for Warne. In seven matches he has taken 17 wickets at 39.64, figures which for most other bowlers would be acceptable but this tally falls well below his career average of almost five wickets per match.  Apart from Zimbabwe where he has only played one Test, the Caribbean is the only place where Warne has failed to take a five wicket haul, his best being four for 70, the wickets of Keith Arthurton, Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Kenny Benjamin as Australia won the decisive fourth Test to claim a 2-1 series win at Kingston in the 1994/95 series.

The retirement of Warne opens the door for Stuart MacGill to resume his stuttered Test career. MacGill has played 14 of his 40 Tests against the West Indies and has enjoyed Caribbean conditions more than his more celebrated countryman. In eight matches in the region he has taken 32 wickets at 32.18 each, including a five-wicket haul of five for 75 out of a match analysis of nine for 182 that led Australia to victory in the Bridgetown Test of 2003.

While it must be reassuring for the Aussies to have such a competent replacement for Warne, the champion leg spinner’s unique personality and enthusiasm will be sorely missed. Other great players have retired only to be lured back into the middle, the most recent being the Sri Lankan Sanath Jayasuriya. Such a thought may provide hope for members of the Shane Warne fan club.
 
Philip Hackett is a freelance sports journalist who has covered international cricket matches for the Nation Newspaper in Barbados as well as the CMC (formerly CANA). Hackett is also a well-respected cricket radio commentator who has covered Test matches for the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation as well as numerous regional first class matches. He has also provided print media and electronic media coverage of table tennis throughout the region. Hackett is a physical education teacher and has worked in Bermuda, Barbados and now the Cayman Islands. He is a qualified international table tennis coach, having received his training in Hungary and a Level one cricket coach. Hackett holds a Masters degree in education from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio.