One day, a curious youngster might ask us what the soundtrack to cricket was like in the 1990s and 2000s. The answer is simple: a chant and a short sentence. The chants of “Sa-chin-Sa-chin” still echo around many Indian stadiums. But just as unforgettable is an Australian voice going: “Bowling, Shane!”

Shane Warne will never go away. He will be larger than life forever. You could list out all the records he broke, and there were many, but what would that achieve? Do you make sense of a magician’s life by counting the number of tricks he performed? You don’t. And like a conjurer inside the big tent, the Warne experience was all about how it made you feel. The numbers were there, and they were incredible. But they were always overshadowed by the giddiness you felt watching him.      

As a bowler, Warne had everything. The “Ball of the Century” to Mike Gatting in the summer of 1993 – the first he bowled in an Ashes series – gets so much attention, but he bowled many others that were just as good. Deliveries that would drift away from the batter’s pads before spitting off the pitch like an angry cobra. Often the angles defied conventional thinking and left batters looking as bemused as Gatting had been when the ball clipped the top of the off stump. 

So many of Warne’s wickets came from mind games. He would talk up his skills, put doubts in the batters’ mind, and then prey on them. Many of the deliveries he invented barely turned. Some were straight balls that the batters would miss because they were expecting something out of the ordinary. Of course, the magic was never far away either. 

Above all, though, Warne was a warrior who refused to accept defeat. In the only Ashes series he ever lost with Australia – in England in 2005 – he took 40 wickets and made over 250 runs. Other stars of a great team may have been off-color but Warne gave everything in a bid to try and prevent England from beating Australia for the first time in nearly 2 decades. 

That determination was seen in the Indian T20 League as well. By the time the first season was played, Warne had retired from international cricket for over a year. He wasn’t sure he wanted to spend a hot Indian summer criss-crossing the cities in a hectic season. But the Rajasthan Team management convinced him it was an opportunity for him to show off his leadership abilities. 

No less a judge than Ian Chappell reckoned Warne was the best captain Australia never had. Warne went some way to proving that by leading Rajasthan, who most experts had predicted to finish last, to the top of the table with 11 wins from 14 matches. They went on to clinch the trophy as well. 

The Warne Effect was on display early in that competition as Rajasthan had to chase 215 for victory against the Hyderabad Team. With 17 needed off Andrew Symonds’ final over, Warne the batter smashed a 4 and two 6s to win the game. Those at the ground that night knew that they were witnessing the start of something special. 

Whatever he did, and some of the headlines weren’t always positive, it was hard to take your eyes off Warne. Along with Tendulkar, Brian Lara, Steve Waugh and Wasim Akram, he defined cricket for a generation of fans. There aren’t enough words to say just how much he will be missed. Cricket’s Peter Pan is gone far too soon.  

Howzat, India’s most trusted fantasy cricket app, is currently hosting exciting fantasy cricket contests and leagues for all the matches of the various ongoing series. Make sure to create teams on time and play fantasy cricket matches on Howzat to win big cash prizes! If you haven’t downloaded the Howzat fantasy app yet, do it right now! Happy gaming!