Well bowled Warnie

Today was the last day we will see Shane Warne in a test match. Shane Warne was probably the biggest sporting influence in my life so far. Watching him bowl, inspired me to be a leg spinner. I never really played cricket at a reasonably competitive level, but I still think of myself as more than a half-decent leggie (ask any one who has faced me in my prime - guys, remember those games against Valley School and Rishi Valley in 1995 and 1997). For me, Warne had it all - the flight, the turn, the attitude. People keen on statistics will compare him with Muralitharan and Kumble, but for a conneiseur of spin bowling, that is like saying Royal Challenge and MaCallan are both whiskeys - factually true, but could not be more wrong. From the Gooch and Gatting deliveries in the 1993 ashes to the 1996 World Cup Semi's to the 1999 World Cup and several times, before and after, Warne has consistently delivered with great panache and charisma. Thank you Warnie ! You will be missed.