Shane Warne, Image: Jenny Evans, AAP
Call me crazy, call me kooky, but allow me for one moment to entertain the idea of bringing back Shane K. Warne as captain of the Australian Test cricket team for one last Ashes hurrah.
Ok, I concede it is a crazy notion and it will never happen. However, in an ideal cricket world devoid of politics, egos and complacency, it makes sense. Doesn’t it?
Just imagine the great leg spinner returning to the much maligned Australian Test side. It would be massive and the Ashes landscape would change dramatically.
His return would bolster two main areas which many perceive as massive problems – the captaincy and spin bowling options, or lack thereof.
Warne is the greatest captain Australia never had. If it were not for his off-field indiscretions, he could’ve become the modern day Richie Benaud.
In the few opportunities he was afforded the captaincy in the one-day arena, he demonstrated that he possessed a fine cricketing brain and the passion to lead his country on the cricket field.
The current captain, Ricky Ponting, isn’t necessarily a bad captain; it’s just that he isn’t a GOOD one.
Ponting’s leadership is built on his magnificent batting prowess and his ability to lead by example. This alone warrants the respect of his teammates.
However, this just isn’t enough.
When the chips are down, Ponting displays poor body language and gets sulky, but more importantly, when the going gets tough, he runs out of ideas fast.
He also doesn’t possess the knock-out punch tactics required for when the team is going in for the kill.
In the last test against India, he blamed the field set for Nathan Hauritz on Hauritz himself, claiming that’s the field the off-spinner wanted.
That’s not good enough Ricky. If that was the case, how about stepping in and changing it up? You’re the captain after all!
Which leads me to the next area of concern – his name starts with ‘H’ and ends with ‘auritz’.
I’ve been a Hauritz-basher from day dot. How the off-spinner got into the Australian test side in the first place is baffling, seeing he was playing second fiddle to Beau Casson at NSW at the time.
I turn my head in disappointment every time I watch Hauritz float down his juicy, tantalising pies that turn at 0.05 degrees, waiting to be walloped by some flat-track bully.
I know it’s harsh, but it’s fair.
The English batsmen will be licking their lips, especially Kevin ‘FIGJAM’ Pietersen who feeds on poor, unimaginative bowling like a starving pig.
KP is in poor form at the moment, so he’d be ravenous for some delicious runs-in-waiting from Mr. Hauritz.
Enter S.K. Warne and the English batters, bar perhaps Pietersen, will be found cowering behind the cricket nets and chewing their fingernails off.
Warne’s inclusion would also give the selectors a chance to slot Steve Smith at No. 6 in the batting line-up, and give him the opportunity to bowl as Warne’s understudy, if you will.
So, Cricket Australia, I implore that you dump a wheelbarrow full of cash at Shane Warne’s doorstep and tell him you’ve got one month to get ready, because glory beckons.
Is it really a crazy idea? Perhaps. Perhaps not.
Tony
Guest
Warne was lured into a premature retirement by the riches on offer in India. (It's one of the reasons I will not watch the IPL.)It would be great to see Warnie back bowling, but that might not be an opinion shared by Malcolm Conn: "THE Ricky Ponting-Brett Lee spat may have looked bad but this is the most unified Australian team in more than a decade because Shane Warne is not playing." Link.
Amy
Guest
i love Warnie, but trust Ricky, he will do the job.
Terry Kidd
Guest
I think Boulty meant the ex kiwi captain .... Fleming ... picking a captain from any of the cricketing nations
jasco
Guest
tom, youve hit the head on the nail. punter will continue to punt and hauritz will continue unabated. like daria says, its a sad sick world! figjam!?!
jasco
Guest
fleming? if this comment isnt in jest, then you need to acquit to endor!
Rich_daddy
Roar Guru
Perhaps we could bring Bradman back as well, Anyone know a good Voodoo Sharman?
Bayman
Guest
Brett, Benaud thinks so - Richie that is, not Fred. Richie thought him the "best to have never" so he was probably pretty good. Not quite reliable enough though for the hierarchy. Always afraid he might do or say something embarrassing - or not take it seriously enough. Like Warne. It must be said, though, that Miller dabbled in a bit of quality - not sure the same could always be said of "our Shane". For all that, two remarkably similar talents and personalities. And Victorians, too!
Bayman
Guest
Uncle Eric, You're right - but he could always get help getting his leg over, should the need have arisen. The bowling arm he has to do himself.
Bayman
Guest
Brett, Benords began his Test career in January, 1952 against the South Africans. Miller finished on the Ashes tour of 1956 so there was a reasonable overlap. I think Benaud first played for NSW in 1949 (with Miller) so he would have shared a dressing room for a fair while. Certainly longer than, say, Ponting and Hussey have to this point in time.
Bayman
Guest
Tom, It was The Byrds but not before Pete Seeger put the words to music and recorded it himself. The origins of the lyrics, if I recall, come from the Bible (don't ask me where, I wouldn't know) but I'm pretty sure nobody is getting any royalties for it.
Bayman
Guest
Viscount, You are a cruel man! Gillespie was one of my favourites. However, you reminded me of one of the great return serve sledges. Mark Waugh giving it to some anonymous Pom batsman, "What are you doing here, you're not good enough to be out here". The conversation ending response, "Maybe not, Mark, but at least I'm the best player in my family!" Ya gotta love it. P.S. "anonymous" only because the name escapes me - but Ormond, or similar, comes to mind.
Viscount Crouchback
Guest
I think Nasser Hussain got it right - Ponting has the professionalism to be a great captain, but none of the nous; Warne is the opposite. If you melded their brains, you'd end up with the greatest captain that ever lived. As it is, we're just going to have watch Ricky chewing gum really, really hard and throwing really, really cringey banter at the batsmen and perhaps tossing out the odd really, really unsubtle verbal grenade in the press and you Aussies will have to pretend that he's the reincarnation of Steve Waugh! Remember the classic sledge from '05 when Ponting approached Vaughan at the crease at Old Trafford and gave him some gip and Vaughan replied: "Who do you think you are? Steve Waugh?" Oh, and then Vaughan went on to score a century and finished Jason Gillespie's career in the process. Fun times!
Uncle Eric
Guest
Well he never had any problem getting his leg over.
Mushi
Guest
Problem is he was also an embarrassment to the baggy green. Not sure he would have lasted simply as a captain.
Boulty
Guest
If you could pick any captain from all the cricketing nations from the last decade to captain Australia who would that be? Id pick Fleming,but could you pick a player on captain skills alone or do you pick the best players for the team and then choose the best captain.Fleming had an average of 40 when he retired would that be good enough to represent Australia?
Terry Kidd
Guest
Gee while were at it ... why not bring back a whole board room of sharp captaincy and wiley bowling? Lets select Mark Taylor, Steve Waugh, Shane Warne and Glen McGrath .... the Poms won't stand a chance !!!!
Brett McKay
Guest
really, that long ago Sheek?? I don't know why then, but I thought there was a fair bit of overlap between Miller and Benaud's careers, evidently not...
Chris
Guest
I'm sure that Shane Warne's idea of "match fit" would be a little different to the average athlete. Remember that Warne has been out of Cricket for a good while before - and came back as good as ever. Let's be honest, spin bowling and slip fielding don't require too much physical conditioning. Warne might be a few clicks slower than he was - but he can do something that no other Australian bowler can (Smith aside) - actually turn the ball.
sheek
Guest
Brett, Before my time too. Miller's last season of test cricket - 1956 - was the year I was born. But we have to trust the word of those who went before us..... Richie Benaud likes to tell the story of his Sheffield Shield debut. As the team walked out onto the SCG to field first, Miller went to motion his team mates as his was about to speak. Benaud was expecting some sage words of wisdom & inspiration, but all Miler said was, "right, scatter boys." Or something like that.....!
Brett McKay
Guest
well yeah, very true Sheek. Miller was obvioulsy a *tad* before my time, but was he considered to have "a good cricket brain" too??