A Tribute to Cricket’s GOAT

There I was, perched on my sofa, anticipating the start of another Ashes series with the feverish excitement of a five-year-old who’s been let loose in a candy store. Heaven only knows why, as it had been painfully obvious to me for several weeks that there was very little chance of England winning a single test match, let alone regaining that precious urn. But hey, the Ashes are the Ashes, so despite the time difference, I gave the hallowed series the honour it deserves, staying up late to watch the first couple of hours of the first Test. Well, at least that was the plan until Mitchell Stark decimated Rory Burns’ leg stump with the very first ball of the series. Finally allowing reality to surface, I cursed my foolishness and reached for the TV remote. Forty-five minutes later, I was still watching. For so long as Shane Warne was commentating I simply couldn’t switch the damn thing off. He had a way of making everything exciting; even disastrous England performances. His teasing jokes, analysis, uncanny ability to read between the lines, and let’s not forget that intoxicating laugh, never failed to captivate me. Just like he did so often during his playing days, bringing excitement and entertainment to test cricket at a time when the game was fast losing its mojo, he brought glam and pannaz to commentating. My eyes would always light up whenever he came on to commentate.

One could go on and on about his cricket – bowling, fielding, batting, tactical acumen, mind games. He was a genius. A once in a lifetime talent that transcended the game;  a rare individual who was admired and loved by both fans and opponents across the world, even when he was decimating their team’s batting line-up.

Upon waking up this morning, still shocked and saddened by his passing, I started to wonder why the news of his death has hit me so hard. After all, I didn’t know him, never met him, and was never even in the same vicinity as the grandmaster. Then it hit me. Once in every generation, there comes an individual whose natural charisma not only warms the hearts of people far and wide but also inspires them to believe, work hard and do better, no matter their circumstance or what’s going on around them.

When asked to explain his understanding of the term ‘purple patch’ some years back, he replied something to this effect – ‘A purple patch is when you’re able to zone in on what needs to be done and give it your very best, no matter what’s going on around you.” Those words have stayed with me ever since. Indeed, I needed them a few days ago. I woke up last Thursday morning feeling a little down, and quite frankly, missing someone, which is fine, as these things happen. But the problem was that it was World Book Day, and I had five one-hour sessions of teaching and entertaining primary school children ahead of me. Thankfully, I was able to recall Warnie’s words on my way to the school and promptly told myself, “Focus on the kids, Segs, that’s all that matters right now. Give it your very best.” It ended up being one of the best days I’ve ever had. As someone recently explained to me, ‘It isn’t unusual to have a mentor that one doesn’t know personally.’

In an age wherein we’re constantly being told who to be, how to behave, how to dress, hell even how to think and breathe, he never strayed from who he was, choosing to be true to himself, as against going with the norm. If I’m honest, it’s probably what I liked most about him, the reason I respected and admired him so much. Yes, he made mistakes, probably more than he would have liked, but I’ve no doubt that deep down, even his most fierce critics envied his commitment to living life to the full.

Shane Warne’s life wasn’t short of controversy. But no matter what came his way, he was always able to focus on his passion, and never relented on his successful quest to be the very best leg spinner of all time; indeed, in my view, the GOAT of cricket.

I still can’t believe I’ll never hear his live commentary again. My hope and prayer is that I have the opportunity to sit with him in heaven one day and have him tell me about those marvellous cricketing duels he had with the likes of Pietersen, Tendulkar, Gibbs, Straus, to name just a few.

Rest in peace, Mr. Warne. You are and always will be a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon.