Achtung Baby
School Boy/Girl Cricketer
yaa especially, those SMS's and phone calls.
By the way i too like warne a lot but just couldn't help myself from making that comment.
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How do you feel about Shane Warne?
- Thread starter bond21
- Start date
By the way i too like warne a lot but just couldn't help myself from making that comment.
FaaipDeOiad
Hall of Fame Member
Yes, you could argue both those points, though I think there'd be fairly few around today who wouldn't rate Warne in their top 10 bowlers. I can certainly see reasons why one might not rate him as the best though, even in his own era. Either way, I've seen a number of performances from Warne that I don't believe any other bowler could have matched, in both forms of the game. When a player manages to do something amazing at crucial moments so often, it adds something that's quite apart from their statistical record, IMO, and that's what I'll remember most about Warne.
LongHopCassidy
International Captain
Of all the players I'd be on a team with, Warne would be my first. Not sure how profound that criterion is, but it's the fairest combination of presence and ability for mine.
BhupinderSingh
Banned
What Anil said except I would put 10 instead of 5.
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Completely understand why he was selected as the five cricketers of the century (criteria wasn't necessarily the best - it was influence).
Would he be on my top ten bowlers all time? Nope. But he still is probably the greatest leg spinner of all time, and would make my all time side (as sometimes you need a spinner, and he is about as good as you get). Unlike a fast bowler, no spinner has really had a fantastic record everywhere. It just comes with bowling spin.
Warne was sometimes quite ineffective against India, and he had a couple other downturns which were probably anomalies, but on the whole, he still beats out pretty much every other spinner, because all the rest of them have a lot more blotches on their cricketing record. Steroids or not, he still showed up in all the big games, and has an excellent cricketing brain, so he would make my all time XI if I decide to put a spinner in there.
In the modern era, his obvious rival is Murali but he played on less helpful pitches, plus he is also largely ineffective against India, just like Warne. And he is also ineffective vs. Australia, just like Warne (Warne averages 35 in the Aussie domestic scene, but Murali wasn't that effective even in SL against Australia, while I'd back Warne to be more effective in SL vs. Australians - but obviously that's just conjecture). Plus, a personal preference of Warne being more beautiful to look at while being at least as effective, and the additional skills you'd get in the batting department means he comes out ahead.
Would he be on my top ten bowlers all time? Nope. But he still is probably the greatest leg spinner of all time, and would make my all time side (as sometimes you need a spinner, and he is about as good as you get). Unlike a fast bowler, no spinner has really had a fantastic record everywhere. It just comes with bowling spin.
Warne was sometimes quite ineffective against India, and he had a couple other downturns which were probably anomalies, but on the whole, he still beats out pretty much every other spinner, because all the rest of them have a lot more blotches on their cricketing record. Steroids or not, he still showed up in all the big games, and has an excellent cricketing brain, so he would make my all time XI if I decide to put a spinner in there.
In the modern era, his obvious rival is Murali but he played on less helpful pitches, plus he is also largely ineffective against India, just like Warne. And he is also ineffective vs. Australia, just like Warne (Warne averages 35 in the Aussie domestic scene, but Murali wasn't that effective even in SL against Australia, while I'd back Warne to be more effective in SL vs. Australians - but obviously that's just conjecture). Plus, a personal preference of Warne being more beautiful to look at while being at least as effective, and the additional skills you'd get in the batting department means he comes out ahead.
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PhoenixFire
International Coach
Agreed.
Anil
Hall of Fame Member
i was referring to the wisden list, he would not make my top 10 as well...
silentstriker
The Wheel is Forever
Greatest bowler? In my opinion, that argument has almost no merit. I don't think its remotely close, not even top ten of bowlers. Obviously, greatest spinner of all time is different, and that argument does have merit.
Ikki
Hall of Fame Member
That's incorrect. He averages pretty much the same in the domestic scene. I remember Dasa brought this up and I went through all his FC matches - not including test matches. I think the article that said he averaged 35 in domestic cricket was in his tests in the Pura cup.
vic_orthdox
Global Moderator
Was in his tests in the Pura Cup?
Confusing me here.
What else do you think he's referring to when he talks about "Aussie Domestic Scene"?
Burgey
Request Your Custom Title Now!
Have you ever been coached by him mate, or been to clinics where he's been?
For all the bad things you hear about Warne, I've heard he's pretty generous with his time. Example - some punters went on the last WI tour, and after a game the team all went into the sheds - the Aussies on tour (bare in mind they've come from the other side of the world to support the boys) apparently got brushed by the team who all just walked straight past them, except one fella - Warne, who stood there, signed everything, had photos taken and had a chat for the better part of 30 minutes.
Not sure is it was a female tour group, but it's still a good thing to do.
I went to a lunch after the 99 WC whent he side came back into Sydney, and at that function Warne, being Warne, was the centre of all attention. He handled himself brilliantly - tolerated the stupid, thanked the hosts, the fans, answered a lot of questions. I guess when I hear him criticised (mostly justified it has to be said) I remember those things, which redeem him in my eyes a fair bit.
For all the bad things you hear about Warne, I've heard he's pretty generous with his time. Example - some punters went on the last WI tour, and after a game the team all went into the sheds - the Aussies on tour (bare in mind they've come from the other side of the world to support the boys) apparently got brushed by the team who all just walked straight past them, except one fella - Warne, who stood there, signed everything, had photos taken and had a chat for the better part of 30 minutes.
Not sure is it was a female tour group, but it's still a good thing to do.
I went to a lunch after the 99 WC whent he side came back into Sydney, and at that function Warne, being Warne, was the centre of all attention. He handled himself brilliantly - tolerated the stupid, thanked the hosts, the fans, answered a lot of questions. I guess when I hear him criticised (mostly justified it has to be said) I remember those things, which redeem him in my eyes a fair bit.
Ikki
Hall of Fame Member
'Pura Cup' used to be the 'Sheffield Shield', if you recall? At around 2000 it changed and post 2000 most of Warne's FC career has been in England. As I remember it, when he did play Pura Cup he'd come back in little patches with a test or two. I went through all his Sheffield Shield years, there were only a few years where he averaged above 30, so him averaging 35 overall in 'domestic cricket' is inaccurate.
As for FC matches without Tests, I mean his FC record without his Tests for Australia. It seems Cricinfo have counted Test matches for Australia in his FC record. I went into it, also getting his stats from English domestic cricket and saw that he pretty much averages the same but strikes, IIRC, a ball quicker.
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) batsmen around the world knew how to play quality leg spin Not saying that I agree with it but the argument does hold some merit
1. World record holder
2. Significant contributor to more victories in test history than anyone else
3. Arguably the only bowler to come close to mastering the art of leg spin
4. Achievements in an era of unfriendly bowling conditions
Now compare his claims to S.F. Barnes, another touted as best ever.
1. Limited matches
2. Highly questionable opposition
3. Bowler friendly conditions
People cant even seem to agree on what he bowled (some claimed medium fast whilst Bradman compared him to O'Reilly)
I could compare Warne's claims to a host of others and pick out weaknesses in all of them, e.g. great fast bowlers in the 70s and 80s played with a ball with raised seam, on some dodgy tracks, and with, for a time, no limitation on the number of bouncers or number of overs that had to be bowled in a day
Bottom line is that Warne's name deserves to be mentioned alongside the best ever.
Some will, and have, rated him the best ever