Matty Hayden, in his book ‘Standing My Ground’, tells a great story about one Shane K. Warne. The occasion was the start of the infamous “boot-camp” organised by then Australian coach John “Buck” Buchanan intended to revitalise team bonds prior to the 2006 Ashes here in Australia.
The players in the Australian Test squad had assembled in an empty hangar in the Queensland bush.
Each player was asked to walk in silence toward to the drill sergeant, strip down to their underwear and place in a pile all items they intended to bring with them on the camp (a list of contraband had previously been distributed).
Warne was the last player to enter the hangar, by which time his teammates had assembled in single file. They stood silently, dutifully and slightly nervously. His teammates knew that Warne was not a fan of the boot-camp, he was not a fan of Buck, and it was his brainchild.
There was nothing unusual about Warne’s pile until the very last item. He took from his pocket and dropped one small shiny gold packet of B&H.
The drill sergeant was taken aback, not used to such audacity.
He asked Warne whether this was a joke, at which point Warne turned to his teammates and with one of those trademark Warne-cheeky smiles and pronounced simply, “Mate, if they don’t go, the king doesn’t go.”
As of this week, the king is retired – long live the king!
Well, his spirit anyway. No other player summed up the confidence and attitude of the Australian cricket team in the 90’s and early noughties better than Warne. Every organisation has its official leaders and its spiritual leaders.
While some might cringe at Warne being given a title which sits more comfortably with the Dalai Lama (two more contrasting individuals you won’t find!), it can’t be doubted that Warne was a vital ingredient in the culture of success that pervaded the team in his era.
Some people are just born with an innate belief in their ability to perform when it counts. It is such a belief that recently lead Warne to have a new mattress delivered to his house, in the full view of the media, before his new beau Liz Hurley had even touched down in Australia.
When Warne was given the ball and the match was in the balance you could see his mind ticking with the same rapidity as his famous leg break rotated. His mind was focused solely on the imminent demise of the batsman that stood 23 yards away from him. More often than not Warne made the batsman buy in to the same belief.
Very good players such as Darryl Cullinan were made to look like bumbling fools in Warne’s presence.
Who knows what was said out there in the middle all we know is that “mental disintegration” of the opposition became the modus operandi of the Australians. Steve Waugh may have been the architect but Warne was the executioner – apparently a world champion sledger. Words alone, without actions to back them up become hollow. Warne’s rarely were.
My favorite memory of Warne was in the 1999 World Cup semi-final against South Africa. The match that is often cited as the greatest one day game ever played and remembered for the calamitous run out of Allan Donald off the final ball. The outcome could have been so different that day in Birmingham. Australia had made a modest 213 runs which looked insufficient in the shadow of a very long and powerful South African batting line up.
South Africa’s chase had got off to the perfect start – Gibbs and Kirsten had easily seen off our openers and in the process posted 0-43. The game was slipping fast. Like Michael Jordan (the original number 23), Warne demanded that the ball was in his hand when the game was there to be won. He was our “go to” man.
Warne started with his trademark accuracy and intensity. You could tell he was on. His second ball was one of the best of his career – a looping heavily spun delivery that drifted toward Gibbs’ legs before pitching and ripping to take his off-bail. It was a delivery reminiscent of “that ball” that started it all against Gatting.
Not content, Warne followed up with another beauty five balls later, this time claiming the left handed Kirsten.
As the ball disturbed Kirsten’s stumps, Warne released what can only be described as a primal scream – it was a rallying cry to his team mates to believe. He went on to take 4-29, Australia of course went on to win the World Cup. Warne had that ability to carry his teammates on his back.
In the press conference that Warne gave following his retirement from the IPL this week, when asked what next, he said that he would wait for his phone to ring in Australia. It was a thinly veiled hint that he feels he has a lot to offer Australian cricket.
Many believe that we missed a huge opportunity never giving him the captaincy in his playing days. But that is yesterday’s argument.
Cricket Australia is in the process (a very drawn out one) of a top down review of our national team and administration.
If they can’t find a way to utilise Warne’s experience, and I don’t mean as a spin coach but as an ‘elder’, they will have most definitely erred this time.
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